Whitley's Week: What We've Been Up To...

Sorry for the long break between blogs! We have had, quite honestly, our busiest autumn on record. There has been some major event every weekend since school started, and sometimes more than one. School, too, is always very hectic at the beginning of the year, and that has slowed me down considerably. But anyhoo... let's catch up.

CC and Day Day helped us out by taking Whitley the first week of school. Hers was closed one day for a teacher workday, and it allowed Tom and I the extra time in the morning and afternoon we needed to get through the first few days. Then, I drove down to Myrtle Beach on Labor Day weekend to spend it with my parents and pick up Whitley. (I can't remember the last time I was by myself in the car for that long. I brought the iPod and a bunch of old CD's from college and sang the entire ride. No exaggeration. It was awesome.) Meanwhile, Tom flew up to MA to meet his parents. He drove them down to NC, and Whitley and I were back home for us all to spend Labor Day together. The second weekend of Sept. is a blur. Don't remember what we did. Then, Sept. 15, we had a huge yard sale. We sold a ton of baby gear, and succeeded in making a little bit of money, and more importantly, cleaning out some garage and attic space. That Sunday, George and Stacy drove to Charlotte to watch the Saints play the Panthers and dropped the boys off with us. The day went by so quickly! Tom cooked all the kids chocolate chip pancakes, we did a quick photo shoot, and then played video games at the local bowling alley to round out the morning. We had lunch at a local Mexican restaurant, and then I took David and Whitley to see Ice Age 4 at the Graham Cinema (every seat's $3). David, Whitley and I split lots of popcorn, and Kiki man sat in my lap the whole time, so I pretty much spent the movie kissing his precious little head. Drew opted to stay home and watch a superhero movie with Tom. By the time I pulled back in the drive way from the theater, Stacy and George were already there, and Drew was refusing to go home. hee hee I LOVE that my nephews love us so.

On Sept. 21, I flew to Chicago to visit some old friends and attend a baby shower. I ended up meeting up with one friend for lunch on Friday, and then spending the rest of the weekend with some girls I knew through Phi Mu at LSU. We enjoyed some nice meals, attended a great shower for my dear friend Jen, did a little bit of sight-seeing, and watched LSU (barely) beat Auburn. It was a quick but fun trip.

On the 29th, some of my teacher friends and I hosted a baby shower at my house. It turned out really well, but I spent the whole week prior making decorations, a diaper wreath, and a tutu hair-bow hanger. Whew! I burned myself with the hot glue gun more times than I could count.

And that about sums up September. Here are some photos. :)

While the boys were at our house, I tried to recreate a photo that I'd always loved. When Stacy and I were little, we posed for a picture with all of stuffed animals on the steps. The toys filled the entire staircase and were neatly lined up. Maybe Stacy and I were more willing to sit still than these kiddos, because I didn't achieve quite the result I was hoping for. :) Of course, they are still precious!