Our big vacation this year: an Alaskan cruise! We’ve been thinking about it for a while and since this was one of those milestone birthday years for mom, we decided to go for it.

We spent 3 days in Vancouver before embarking. Our first evening we took a water taxi over to the Granville Island Market to pick up some local munchies. While Tyson was running around chasing birds, he fell face first into a bench. Our next stop was the ER. Welcome to Canada! Luckily it was just a small cut and a black eye, which the doctor said made him look like a typical Canadian kid with a hockey injury. It definitely impressed the lumberjacks the next day up on Grouse Mountain. Meanwhile, the sight of snow impressed Tyson, the view overlooking the city impressed Travis, and mom and I were impressed with the large glasses of wine at lunch. Since we were there for Father’s Day, I gave the boys their (now annual) set of matching shirts…chosen appropriately for our location. The following day we toured the city – Chinatown, Gas Town, and Stanley Park.

The next day it was all aboard the Disney Wonder! Tyson had one goal he was laser focused on – the water slide. As soon as we downed our first boat drink and hurried through lunch, Tyson and I were in our bathing suits. I was so happy to find out the water was very well heated and they even had warm air blasting on the stairs going up to the slide (love that Disney magic).

The first couple days we were “at sea”, but on the Inside Passage. Every time you looked out there were mountains, trees, waterfalls, lighthouses – one post card view after another. We spent a lot of quality time on our veranda. For mom’s actual birthday, we enjoyed the spa in the morning and then had brunch at Palo (the adults only restaurant). That night was dinner at Tiana’s Place, where they had a live jazz band and Tiana herself mingled among the diners. Tyson was smitten, especially after she promised him a dance later in the week. In the morning, the boat headed up Endicott Arm – a fjord that dead ends at Dawes Glacier. As we approached, we started to see small icebergs in the water, one of which they brought up on deck. We parked in front of the glacier for a while and were lucky enough to see 2 big calvings (where large chunks of ice fall off into the water).

Skagway was our first port. We had an early start for our excursion to Liarsville, a replica tent city from the gold rush. We hiked up a small (not so easy) trail and feasted on a breakfast cooked over a campfire while we heard stories about the miners. We did get to try our hand at gold panning and even had a few post-breakfast roasted marshmallows. We returned to town for a bit of shopping and lunch on the boat before our next adventure – the White Pass Railroad. This train follows the path miners used to get to the Yukon Territory. The train climbs over 3,000 feet in less than 20 miles. The scenery was spectacular!

Juneau was the next port. We split up for our whale watching excursions – Trav’s was photography focused and ours was a science adventure. Both stopped at the Mendenhall Glacier, but while Trav was learning about scene composition, we were in a nearby creek looking for bugs. None of us saw bears (apparently common in that area), but we did see piles of “evidence” of their presence. Then on to the whales! On our boat, each of the kids was assigned a duty – identifying species, charting, documenting, and Tyson was selected to be the photographer. He took his job very seriously and did manage to capture a few shots of a whale tail! We did choose to go with Trav’s shot for the photo album. We all rendezvoused back in town at Tracy’s King Crab Shack for some of the biggest crab legs we’ve ever seen.

Last port was Ketchikan. We first went to the Totem Heritage Center to see some of the original totem poles from the area. Next was the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman’s Tour on board the Aleutian Ballad from Deadliest Catch. It really was the actual boat seen on the show that they retrofitted with seats (and a gift shop) for tourists. Although we did not go out to the Bering Sea (thank goodness), they showed us how they pull up the crab pots. At one point, they started throwing fish in the water. About 20 bald eagles started circling and diving right in front of us. It was breathtaking. That tour was the highlight of the whole trip! Afterwards we walked around town. I did buy some salmon, since Ketchikan is the salmon capital of the world (per their giant sign). I do love salmon and I ate A LOT of it on this trip. There were days I had it at breakfast, lunch and dinner. I had it raw, smoked, cured, candied, baked, and grilled. I even had smoked salmon infused vodka in a Bloody Mary! Mom was on the opposite end of the salmon spectrum. She tried to learn to like it before the trip but ultimately ended up only being “salmon tolerant”. Luckily there were plenty of other food options…

We had one last day at sea before returning to Vancouver, where we immediately flew back home. It was an unforgettable vacation! Click here to see the photos.

We’ll start with the big news first: we’re moving! Not far – less than 2 miles actually – but that short distance puts us into an excellent school district. It all happened pretty fast! We had what we thought was a preliminary meeting with our realtor, but within a few hours we had a sign in the yard and we were listed. By the next day we had 2 offers! The house we purchased went about the same – it came on the market, we went to see and were under contract within the span of a weekend. While we tackle the mortgage paper-work gauntlet and bide our time until closing, we are renting back our current house. We will probably move sometime in late July. What was that? Why sure, you can help us pack – come on over!

Now back to where we left off in February…since then: St. Patty’s Day, our 19th wedding anniversary (celebrated with fondue – can’t go wrong), took in a game at the new Brave’s stadium – Suntrust Park, the Cooks came to visit, we wished cousin Brittany and family farewell as they move to New York, Easter, lantern parade and Kindergarten Graduation. Whew!

Once school was out, we took a little road trip next door to Alabama over Memorial Day weekend. First stop was Birmingham. We visited the Barber Motorsports Museum and Sloss Furnaces. Both provided Travis with ample photographic opportunities. We found a great spot for lunch that had mac n’ cheese grilled cheese sandwiches – a hit with the (little) boy. Local beer was a hit with the big boy. Next stop was Huntsville, with a visit to the Ave Maria grotto on the way. The big attraction was the Space and Rocket Center. We got a tip from one of Tyson’s teachers (who apparently worked for NASA in her previous career) that we should bring a banana to place on the grave of the first monkey in space. Nice gesture, although she said that monkey was a jerk. The rest of our trip was spent in the pool or walking round the lake behind our hotel. It was a great vacation and another state we can now check off our list.

Hope everyone is enjoying summer so far!

It may be the shortest month of the year, but we packed a lot in! We started with Tyson being Principal for the Day – a prize he won in a raffle. Wearing a new suit from G-mom and doling out donuts to the front office staff, he made quite an impression. He greeted students coming in the door, read the morning announcements, patrolled the halls, and enjoyed a private pizza party in the Principal’s office. When watching the video of him giving the announcements, try not to cringe as he mentions the Falcons…this was just days before that infamous Super Bowl.

On to Valentine festivities – brunches, parties, waffles, and love. Later that week, Travis went up to Cleveland to visit his friend Mike and enjoy some time on the slopes. Meanwhile, Tyson had a 4 day weekend for Winter Break (still getting used to all of these school holidays). We embarked on many local adventures – the Aquarium (where we discovered they were filming Pitch Perfect 3), science fun in one of the labs at my office (convinced a co-worker to let him play), a visit to see the Holtzman family (more like date night for Tyson and Kayla), a trip to the circus (last time for Barnum and Bailey!), and we went to the zoo.

But wait…there’s more. Tyson got his blue belt in karate! Still not the best part…here we go. Travis and I attended the school fundraising auction. It was sponsored by Tito’s vodka, which we had a lot of. During the live auction, Travis got into a bidding war with another dad – Trav won. We won. We won a herd of goats. These are landscaping goats that come to your house (for about a week) and eat all of your kudzu and ivy. They even come with 2 guard dogs! Not sure exactly when this will be happening, but you better believe we’re gonna have a goat watching party. Bring on the chevre! Last photo is when Tyson found out about the goats – his expression is priceless! Click here for the photos and videos.

Just when you finally got “Jingle Bells” out of your head, we thought we would send out some Christmas pictures! We added more decorations to the house this year (per Tyson’s request), but did not find the elusive 3rd inflatable dinosaur to add to our yard. For gifts given, Tyson made applebutter (from the apples we picked back in the fall). He also made Tessa a dog house, which she loves. For gifts received, we seem to be in the “toys with a million tiny pieces” phase. After the big day, we took a road trip up to New Jersey. The cousins had a great time together. During our stay, we had a rainy day trip to Manhattan (Intrepid Museum + Dylan’s Candy Bar = happy boys), a visit to a pinball museum at the Jersey shore, and general shenanigans around the house. Check out the photos here.

Hope everyone is having a great start to 2017!

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the leaves and photos here.

Tis the season for festivals – Autumn Fest in Avondale, Pumpkin Fest at Stone Mountain, Pig Roast at the lake, Owl-O-Ween Hot Air Balloon festival, Scarecrow Festival and Chihuly exhibit at the Atlanta Botanical gardens, and Pumpkin Patch at school. Whew!

For Halloween we dressed as Teen Titans Go – Cyborg, Raven and Starfire. Thought I’d give an explanation for all of you who don’t watch Cartoon Network…

Click here to see the pictures. Take a close look at the last photo of our Halloween decorations – that’s a real owl that landed on the roof just in time for Trav’s photo shoot!

Now that we are beholden to a school schedule, we took advantage of our required days off for Fall Break to have a family get together. The Cooks and Lambs rented a cabin up in Ellijay, GA. Some people drove a quick 30 minutes to get there while others took an epic 5 hour journey through traffic, suburbs, and the (potentially clown filled) wilderness. Everyone eventually made it there safely. We collectively had to deal with the somewhat daunting gravel driveway and (gasp) absence of a cell signal! Don’t worry … there was WiFi.

We had a lot of fun at the river – looking at it, throwing things in it, stomping in it, attempting to fish, attempting to go tubing … a little something for everyone. We celebrated Tyson’s 6th birthday while we were there and per his request, included a piñata! One day we ventured out to an apple orchard (along with most of the population of North Georgia). Tyson did enjoy picking apples – those trees are just his size.

We made some great memories and plan to turn this into an annual event. See the photos here.

Things have been busy around the Cook home since our last update. Tyson is doing great in kindergarten; making new friends, learning new things about the world, and discovering new concepts like homework! He is taking it all in stride, although he does seem a bit more worn out at the end of the day than during his preschool years. During the week he falls asleep almost as soon as his little head hits the pillow, so that brain is getting a good workout.

Amanda and her mom took a trip up to Philly to spend some time with her brother Ben, during which I took Tyson to our final Braves ballgame at Turner Field. They are relocating to a shiny new ballpark out in the suburbs next year after a 20 year run at “The Ted”, and 50 years in downtown Atlanta. Can they really still call themselves the Atlanta Braves if they are a 30 mins drive from the city?

Last week Tyson made us proud when he showed just how tenacious, tough, and smart he is by graduating to yellow belt in Karate after just 3 months of training. He stepped up and passed his test despite having a cold!

And lastly, we had a good time at his school’s homecoming party. Well, perhaps Tyson enjoyed it a bit more than us, given it was primarily about pizza, monkey bars, and face painting, but it was still fun for all.

Here is a batch of photos

The end of summer comes quick since school starts in August around here! We had a fun Fourth of July enjoying our neighborhood festivities. Later in the month we went up to Missouri to visit Trav’s mom and younger sister Erin. His older sister Vicki, and nephew Jake, also made the trip. Tyson loved being with his cousin JP. We spent time hanging out, catching up, and making trips to Wal-Mart. We did go visit a brewery (Tyson only had cream soda) and the Tiger Sanctuary across the street. On August 8th, Tyson started Kindergarten! Although I shed a few tears, he seemed to have no trouble adjusting and had a great time. We realize now how coddled we were by his day care – daily emails and photos of his activities, one-on-one discussions with the teachers every morning and afternoon, and full access to the school. Now we’re lucky if they let us come to a full stop in the carpool lane, and we are certainly not allowed to go inside! Tyson is our only source of information for what goes on all day, and his reporting skills are … selective. Guess I’ll get used to it. Tyson is enjoying his new hobby: karate. He was reluctant to join at first, claiming he was already a fully trained ninja, but he warmed up to the idea of seeing what else could be learned. He competed in his first tournament and finished 4th – not too bad for his 2nd month! Here are the photos.

The beginning of summer was marked by Tyson’s “Bridging Ceremony” (pre-K graduation – photos here). A casual affair, but I bawled none the less. I can’t even image how I’ll be on his first day of Kindergarten! Speaking of, he is still (#3) on the waiting list for our elementary school of choice, but we did go ahead and enroll at another school in the area. In the meantime, he is enjoying summer camp, which is basically pre-K with field trips. Travis and I have bravely volunteered to take turns chaperoning. There is nothing better than trying to herd 27 5-year-olds around the zoo to make you appreciate your day job…

We took our big vacation to Arizona last month. The first half of the trip was in Scottsdale, where we visited our good family friend, Lee. The very first morning, Tyson touched a cactus (his story: “I was just standing there and it moved towards me”). Luckily that was the only misadventure in our adventure. We explored Old Town Scottsdale, toured Taliesin West (Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home/architecture school), went to the Musical Instrument Museum, and spent a day at a Ghost Town. There were lots of margaritas and trips to the pool scattered in between. Did I mention there was a record breaking heat wave while we were there – triple digit temperatures every day? The second half of the trip was in Sedona. The red rocks are truly amazing to see and Travis enjoyed a few photo expeditions. One day we took the Grand Canyon Train to…well, the Grand Canyon – that was definitely the way to go. On our final day, we went on a Pink Jeep tour – off road, 4 wheeling on the red rocks. I don’t think we were quite prepared for just how “off road” it was! It was really fun and the views were breathtaking. Tyson seems to have a new respect for the color pink and declared that his favorite part of the trip (along with eating fried rattlesnake). Check out the pictures.

For Father’s Day, I arranged for us to go on a tour of the Delta hangers at the airport (our friend Jeff is a mechanic there). He let us climb all around and inside several planes – the size of everything is quite impressive. Click here to see.

Stay cool!

The following is Tyson’s first ever blog entry. His exact words are below, and our photos are here…

“I went to the lake and I did an Easter hunt. And I got so many toys in my Easter basket. And then we went home to play a little bit and make a bunny cake. And then after we made our Easter cake, G-mom came over. And we made Easter eggs. And then everyone had a very nice Easter dinner. We also saw “Red” and “Fred” – they are two little birdies. On another day, I found a ladybug.

I had a sign at the airport that said “Grandma and Grandpa!!” And then tomorrow we went to Stone Mountain and I climbed the rock wall and went to the candy shop and bought a sprinkle-covered-caramel-apple! Then I went to soccer and scored two goals. Then we went home.

And I just want to say to everyone, I love you!”

Hope everyone’s new year is off to a great start!

Before Christmas fades too far from our memories, we wanted to send out photos (click here). It was a pretty quiet and rainy Christmas for us. It was also pretty crafty! Tyson tie dyed t-shirts for all the grandparents. He loves a good project, so we found several decorating and baking activities for him too. This year, we added a second inflatable dinosaur to the family. I’ve entered the 10th tier of acceptance: obsession. Now I want to create an entire Dino holiday theme – picture pterodactyls pulling Santa’s sleigh…I can only dream.

Thus far, January has been exciting: saw the monster trucks again, had a little snow, and Tyson broke his foot. It happened at home when he jumped down the stairs – now he has a lovely blue cast for the next 3 weeks.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2016!

The turkey has all been consumed (two of them, actually), the leaves have all fallen, and the Christmas decorations are up! We had a wonderful time visiting with so many family members over the past few weeks. Nana, Erin and JP made the journey south for a visit, then we made the journey north to Blairsville for another round of fun with Pawpaw, Mawmaw, and G-mom!

Enjoy the photos …

October seems to always be fun filled, and this year did not disappoint! We started the month off with Tyson’s birthday party (the big 5!) at the Peachtree Dekalb airport. The weather was unusually cold and rainy, but that did not hinder our dedicated party goers. I think the biggest hit was the donut birthday cake (party was in the morning).

The following weekend we were off to Orlando, where the weather was on the other end of the spectrum – hot and sunny. I had a conference at a Disney World resort (yes it was real and yes I attended all the meetings) The boys had no trouble entertaining themselves while I was off getting smarter. Of course we made time to spend at a couple of the parks. The last night, I caught up with them at EPCOT and we all rendezvoused with Danielle and family. Then it was back home to start some Halloween activities.

Another weekend we went to the Redbull Soapbox Derby – highly entertaining. It is fun to walk around the pits to see the cars and teams up close (before they get demolished coming down the track). One team had people sign their name on their car – we were able to spot Tyson’s name when they flew by!

Tyson lost his first tooth! The day he discovered it was loose, he was quick to let us know that he does NOT believe in the tooth fairy. However, the day it came out, he had a sudden change of heart and reversed his previous declaration…just in time to get a dollar under his pillow.

Halloween was fun with a festival at school during the day and a party at a friend’s house that night. Tyson’s choice of costume: pumpkin head, ghost tummy, bat arms, zombie hands, skeleton legs and vampire feet – not something I could pick up at Target! We pulled it together but I had to tell him no when he wanted to add a goblin tail right before we went trick or treating. My costume was simple by comparison – just a witch (please refrain from comments). Travis dressed up as himself…circa 1989! Good times.

Photos!

We ended the summer with a couple of road trips:

One quickie (back) to Chattanooga where we rendezvoused with Trav’s mom and Aunt Janet. His sister Vicki even made it up for the day!  The next morning we headed to Dollywood.

One long trip up North – 11 days through 9 states! First stop was New Jersey to visit Dianna and family (cousin time!), then to Maryland to see Grandpop and Grandmom (and a few short hours with Jenny), and finally over to Pennsylvania to meet up with mom and Ben!

Photos from the Chattanooga Trip

Photos from the NJ MD PA Trip

In January, I started a new job – Director of Clinical Research for Department of Pediatrics at Emory. I’m also now the PTA President at Tyson’s school. I’m on a serious power kick (haha). Travis has recently achieved one of this life long career goals – working from home full time (still with AT&T). Speaking of homes, we almost bought a new one a few months back. We thought we should be proactive and move to a better school district. We had a contract on a new place and then backed out after the inspection. The price, taxes, and dash of asbestos was just too much. After that roller coaster, we decided to stay put until next February – that’s when we’ll find out if Tyson gets into the local Charter school for Kindergarten. Fingers crossed!

So I’ll just give a brief overview of 2015 thus far:

Winter – photos here

• Monster Truck Jam
• No snow (except the fake stuff at Stone Mountain)
• Tyson started his first organized sport – indoor soccer
• Girl’s trip to Universal Studios

Spring – photos here

• Blue Man Group at the Fox Theater
• Tyson competed in a fishing derby (didn’t catch anything)
• Saw cool new exhibit at Botanical Gardens
• Renaissance Festival
• First Braves game with Danielle and family

Summer (thus far) – photos here

• Super fun trip to North Carolina mountains (rented a house with a stream in back, fire pit, it’s own playground including a slide off the deck!).
• Another round of soccer
• Weekend trip to Chattanooga to visit Uncle John, Aunt Sarah and cousin Laura
• PTA Board Retreat (aka girl’s trip to the lake)

Ho ho ho! There’s a chill in the air, the smell of cookies, the twinkling lights…isn’t it festive! Make yourself a cup of hot coco and enjoy the photos.

We’ve had an action packed fall as usual! We started September with a quick trip up to see Ben and squeezed in a day at Grandpop’s house. October was full of festivals and festivities! For Tyson’s 4th birthday, he requested a chocolate vanilla swirl cake with strawberries in the middle and red icing – seemed simple enough for me to handle. Well, after an entire bottle of red food color and icing that was only pink, we made a decision to go purple. Then after cutting into the cake, the strawberries in the middle made the whole top half slide off! So lesson learned – I am a Cook, not a baker (haha). Tyson’s big present was a new bike which he rides every chance he gets. Halloween was quite fun – Tyson decided to go as a vampire (even though he is not quite sure what one is).

Getting ready for the next holiday – the other morning I found 4 wild turkeys in our backyard…and a tabby cat thinking he could take one down. Although both mom and Travis suggested I shoot one for thanksgiving, I decided I’d rather buy one at the store. I chased away the stupid cat – be free, wild turkeys! And here are the photos.

Over the weekend we got the unique chance to watch a building implode! We had to get up super early to see it, but it was worth it! Check out the footage here.

Well, it was everything we thought it would be and more! I think it even converted Mom over to the ways of the Mouse. The ship was beautiful, service was amazing, food was excellent and of course the entertainment could not be beat. The kids were in heaven, between all the characters everywhere and the Oceaneer’s Club (a.k.a. Disney themed babysitting).

We traveled with our friends the Holtzmans, so Tyson had Austin and Kayla to play with. We were in the back of the ship while the grandmoms and their friends were up at the front. Our first stop was in Nassau. We stayed on the boat (since Tyson wasn’t really interested in duty free shopping) and instead enjoyed the pools and waterslide. The next day we were at Castaway Cay – Disney’s private island. We caught up with the outer bands of Hurricane Arthur, so the weather was not so great (but it gave me a little extra time to recover from the previous evening – girl’s night out). We did manage to make it to the beach for a short period of time, before getting totally drenched on our way back to the boat. That evening was Pirate Night, which I think was everyone’s favorite. Our last day was supposed to be a leisurely day at sea while we returned to Florida, but in true Disney style, they took us back to the private island (and we just went warp speed home that night)! This time the weather was lovely and it was great to get out to the gorgeous beach again. Travis and I had already scheduled a birthday brunch for me in one of the upscale restaurants, so we left Tyson with G-mom and Donna. Apparently while we dined on fine epicurean delights, Tyson was having ice cream for lunch!

I’m sure this was not our last Disney Cruise! Check out our photos here.

What a busy spring this has been! Since our last blog update, Tyson graduated to a new preschool classroom (Hickory) where he is blazing new trails and having lots of fun. He was also upgraded to a “big boy bed” which he proudly shows off to anyone who comes to visit.

We enjoyed planting a Mother’s Day garden, a trip to Knoxville to celebrate our friend Danielle getting married, visited loved ones in Cape Girardeau, and did some Father’s Day fishing (a first for Tyson).

Here’s a pile of photos. I really need to learn how to edit myself before we set sail on our Disney cruise this Saturday!

As we dust off the thick coating of pollen covering all of Atlanta, it seems the time is right for another blog update.

Despite a rainy April, Tyson still managed to squeeze in two egg hunts … one at the park in our neighborhood, and another at Fern Bank where he serenaded the crowd with “Let It Go” from Disney’s Frozen. Paw-paw and G-mom both joined the fun festivities.

We also saw The Lion King at the Fox Theater; Tyson’s first play, first time wearing a tie, and first time using binoculars. He thought it was all pretty cool. Oh, and another first … he had his first play date with his best buddy Grant. It was a bit chaotic and the house looked like a bomb went off when they were done, but they had a blast and will be doing it again this weekend (at Grant’s house, thank goodness).

Enjoy the photos

One of my New Year’s resolutions was to update the blog more often. As is typical of resolutions, I couldn’t even make it through January. So, here I am in February posting Christmas pictures. Happy Groundhog Day.

The holidays were good. Tyson decided since he is now 3 years old, he will no longer cry when he sees Santa. He held to his word and the only thing he asked for was a candy cane. Ah, if only he could stay that way…

We did hit another milestone: first trip to the ER. Tyson scratched his eye on a new toy the day after Christmas. Ultimately no treatment was needed, but he now has a scar below his eye. It adds to his tough guy aesthetic.

So far 2014 has been pretty exciting.

• I got a promotion at work and will now be a supervisor. My first foray in to middle management – livin’ the American dream.
• After 13 years, I finally traded in my 4runner for a new car – a RAV4 (I like Toyotas and the number “4” apparently). I’m still getting used to all the new buttons and features – keep in mind my old car still had a cassette player.
• Last night we went to see Book of Mormon (so hilarious – worth the hype) and Tyson spent the night with G-mom. That was a first for us, being away from Tyson overnight. We all did well – I didn’t cry (OK, my eyes may have watered up, but no tears were actually shed).
• And then there’s the snow-pocalypse we had last week, which was more like gridlockocalypse. I just have to make a comment to those outside of Atlanta (since we’ve been ridiculed in the national media). It’s not that we couldn’t handle 2 inches of snow; it’s that all the schools closed in the middle of it which created instant rush hour. We were lucky enough not to get caught out in it, but know plenty who were. We are glad everyone is now safe, and 4 days later, enjoying the 70 degree weather (hey, we rebound fast!).

Photo time!

Wow, I can’t believe how much we crammed into 1 month:

Visit to Blairville: had to see Paw Paw jam with his band at a festival.

4 Birthday parties: Tyson’s (still keeping it small as long as we can), Kayla’s and 2 classmates.

Quick jaunt to Disney: school was closed on Columbus Day…I had to take off work anyway…might as well go visit the mouse! It was all decked out for Halloween and it was our last chance to get Tyson in for free.

Neighborhood Pig Roast: super porky fun at the lake! When Tyson saw the pig laid out over the coals, he pointed at it and said “we’re gonna eat you!” No qualms about where his food comes from.

Halloween festiveness: Scarecrow exhibit at the botanical gardens, Harvest Festival at school, Halloween party, pumpkin carving and of course Trick-or-Treating!

Whew! Think I’ll go take a nap until Thanksgiving.

Here are the photos

We finally braved the airways with the little dude…of course he was totally fine, as always. It was quite a logistical adventure through multiple states involving cars, planes, trains, and a boat (if you count one of the rides at Coney Island).

Phase 1: Pennsylvania
We rendezvoused with G-mom and Uncle Ben for some wholesome family fun in Amish country. We stayed at a great resort that had its own petting zoo (with greedy goats and a smug llama) and putt putt course.

Phase 2: New Jersey
As if that wasn’t fun enough, we met up with Dad and Uncle Dave for a day at an amusement park, followed by a quick stop over at their house.

Phase 3: New York
Off to Diana’s for Cousin-palooza! Tyson and Beckett were so happy to see each other again. We had a few field trips like Coney Island (Dianna and I rode the Cyclone – heck yeah!) and fossil hunting. Other than that, most of the time was spent playing in the backyard or running around in superhero capes.

Well, I was always impressed with how many of Trav’s relatives we could squeeze in on a visit to Missouri, but I think we came pretty close with the number of MY relatives we just saw on this trip! But not to be outdone, the day after we got home we managed to see 5 of Trav’s relatives. We are all stocked up on kinfolk!

Here are the photos and a video of the original song “Sometimes”

Hope everyone is having a great summer so far. We spent the last week in May at Seabrook Island – our usual beach stomping grounds. Tyson has lost any previous fear he had about water – he had no issue marching straight into the ocean or taking a running leap into the pool. He has also taken a liking to the sand. We had some fun field trips: outdoor concert (Tyson loves to get down with the ladies), Firefly distillery (it’s not just about the alcohol…they have animals there too), and we even made it to Charleston one day for a carriage tour and the aquarium. Our last day of vacation was actually Trav’s 40th birthday! Mom and I could not figure out what to get him, so we ended up chartering a boat for an after dinner cruise! Capt. Harry took us around to see the shrimp boats, dolphins up close, an eagle’s nest, a couple of ship wrecks, and the sunset while we drank a little bubbly and of course, had cake! It was definitely memorable. Check out the pictures here.

That’s right…we took a 2½ year old to Disney…during spring break…and it was awesome. We had a plan, utilizing my extensive advance research and years of training with fellow Disney fan Sandi. We got up early every day, even though Travis protested at first, claiming we were supposed to be on vacation (this was no vacation – this was Disney – there’s a difference!). We had a bit of cold weather – it was in the 40s most mornings. Travis had to visit the gift shop to purchase an additional long sleeve shirt (mouse propaganda). We picked a strategically positioned hotel that put us in walking distance of two of the parks, which made it easy to return to our room every day for nap time (another key to our success). The lobby had a swan fountain (as it was The Swan hotel) and after seeing it, Tyson informed us “the big ducks don’t like the water – they spit it out”. Ok, enough about logistics, on to the fun stuff!

Tyson loved everything – and not just the rides, shows, and characters; but every crack in the side walk he could hop over, the endless variety of benches he could climb on, and all the retaining walls he could jump off of. I think we rode every possible ride with him (and I might have slipped off for a couple of roller coasters too). He was really impressed by the castle, but he discovered there’s not too much to see inside. He also liked the “big ball”, and at least it contains a ride! We were surprised how much he enjoyed the various shows – particularly Disney Junior Live and the Nemo musical. At one point we were in a theater and when all the lights went out he yelled “oh no, I can’t see my mommy or my daddy!” The audience was quite amused. We all had such a great time. Tyson claims his favorite thing was “the horses” (carousel), but judging by his reaction, I would say it was meeting Mickey Mouse. When he first caught sight of him, he said “that’s Mickey! I’m gonna give him a hug, and a kiss, and a high 5!” And he did.

It’s hard not to get sentimental (and maybe a little misty eyed) the first time you take your kiddo to Disney. Riding Small World with him, realizing that both of our own parents took us on that same exact ride when we were little; playing in the fountains outside Imagination, just like I did 27 years ago (yikes!) with Ben and Dianna; and drinking margaritas at the Mexico pavilion with BFF Sandi (ok, that wasn’t that long ago). Travis and I celebrated our first anniversary at Disney and last week we celebrated our 15th there. It’s a special place and this was a trip we’ll never forget.

And here’s what you’ve all been waiting for: the photos!

Just got back from a very romantic dinner at the Waffle House with my two favorite boys (yes, reservations were required).

Photos

… my true love gave to me:
12 lbs. of chocolate
11 tears for Santa
10 days vacation
9 Aunts and Uncles
8 older cousins
7 dozen batteries
6 broken ornaments
5 Grand-par-ents
4 McRibs for mommy
3 days in Blairsville
2 Christmas parties

and a ha-aa-aa-appy new year! – Enjoy the photos

Ah, another year, another turkey!  The Chattanooga folks came down to join us – Uncle John, Aunt Sarah, Cousin Laura and Beau.  Tyson warmed up to everyone in no time.  We filled ourselves with good company and the classic “brown mushy foods” of Thanksgiving (quote from Laura – love it). The next morning, Tyson couldn’t wait to play with his new train and eat another John roll!  Check out the photos and sweet yoga moves here.  Alright, time to put the tree up!

So here’s the deal – Tyson thinks I’M the lady in the Starbucks logo. Any time he sees it – on a sign, on a cup, in a store – he points and says “Mommy!”.  And that is where our costumes derived from…I was the lady in the Starbucks logo, Travis was a barista, and Tyson was a cup of coffee.  Ok, well, he was supposed to be a cup of coffee, but he refused to wear his costume.  Good thing he’s cute. You might notice the big scab on his nose – he took bad spill earlier this week at daycare.  That did not slow him down! He really got in to Halloween this year – he would hold his bag open and say “trick-treat-please!”

Check out the photos!