Besties and babies - take 2

Two years later and we met up in Greenville again, this time with several extra additions!

Jacqui flew into town from New York, where's she's been living for the last year or so. She had her baby, Ben, on Leap Day (crazy, right?!?!) and this is her first trip back to SC since he's been born. She came to visit her family and I get to reap the benefits of this trip. I have been so excited to meet Ben since he was born. He was the tiniest little thing at birth and he's filling out quite nicely! He is absolutely adorable and I fell in love with him immediately. I got to hold him and love on him for a while on Saturday afternoon.

Benjamin James Gantt

He's beautiful and so so sweet!

Jacqui and Ben
She doesn't look like she just had a baby!

Since Jacqui was going to be in town, Diane drove down from Charlotte, and Nator drove up from Atlanta, with her little guy, Colton. Remember him? I hadn't seen him since last fall and he's grown so much! He's still such a cutie and a really happy baby! And by the way, he's big! He looks like he's almost as big as my boys and he's only 8 months old. Ha!

Colton - don't mind the drool. Boy's got some teeth coming in!

Diane didn't get to bring her kids because they had stuff going on in Charlotte, but we were bummed they couldn't come. I thought it would have been great fun to get all the kids together to play, but I'm sure she'll be back in town with Bobby and Grace sometime fairly soon.

Diane and William

Jacqui and Colt

Nator and Ben

William and Stokes meeting Ben

They love babies and William kept wanting to kiss Ben.
I let him kiss him on the hand. ;)

Colt and the boys playing

Nator with her baby

Colton and Ryan

 

Stokes eating chips and salsa -
As soon as he see chips, he will
start begging for some. When you give him
one, he immediately requests to "dip! dip!".
He didn't seem the mind the medium salsa!

Besties and babies!

Nator, Colton, me, Ryan, Jacqui, Stokes, William and Diane

Diane holding Ryan

Jacqui and Stokes

Ryan - ready for his dinner. Diane fed him his whole dinner! :)

Colton making everyone smile

We spent a few hours hanging out in the afternoon and Jacqui eventually took Ben home to stay with family so she could have some uninterrupted girl time. After we got my boys and Colt down for the night, us girls went out to dinner. Thomas was a big time trooper to stay at the house and make sure all the boys were OK. Luckily no one woke up on him so he could just chill. He even got a fire going in the fire pit so when we got home from dinner, it was ready for us to enjoy a relaxing night outside under the stars. We brought baby monitors out with extension cords and had fun talking.

I've been really lucky to get to see my best friends several times in the last few weeks. Not only that, but Thomas has been really, really fantastic to give me a little time to hang out with them. He's such a great dad and I appreciate his willingness to give me my girl time as often as he does! 

Diamond Jelly

Ever heard of Diamond Jelly? No? Really? I didn't think so. But have you ever heard of Pearl Jam!?!?!?!?! I'm hilarious, I know. :)

Well, we were some of the fortunate people that got to see Pearl Jam when they came to Greenville last weekend. One word for this concert: EPIC. Those who know me well know that I really love Pearl Jam. They've been my jam (pun intended) since middle school. I still love those early 90's songs from the Ten and Vs. albums best and strayed a little when they put out some of their albums after those, but Pearl Jam is still tops in my book.

Thomas got me concert tickets for my birthday and I was so excited! The only downside was that I had to wait for months before it was time for the concert.

MaSha agreed to watch the boys for us so we could have a night out on the town. We had decided to grab dinner with our friends, Van and Stacey, before the show. The four of us ate at The Trappe Door for the first time. It was a really cool place! It definitely makes you feel very hipster - ha! There were lots of other people there that were going to the concert as well.

Van, Stacey, me and Thomas

We were able to walk from dinner to the venue, then snuck into the VIP entrance and found our seats. I was so excited for the show to begin. Let me just say - it did NOT disappoint! It's been a while since I listened to their music on the reg, but lots of the lyrics came back to me. Music has a way of capturing a period of time in your mind and I was seriously taken back to my bedroom in Dallas, where we lived during my middle school years, and it felt like it was yesterday.

Thomas and me - ready for the show to start!!!!

Eddie Vedder was always a crush of mine during my Pearl Jam obsession and let's just say that some things never change. HA!!!

Let's just talk about the set list for a second. PJ opened the show with "Corduroy" and then played Vs. In it's entirety. No, seriously. That really happened. It's safe to say that venues and fans all over the country were pretty jealous of what we got to witness and experience. Amazing.

Picture from @PearlJam 's Twitter. Thanks for this!!!

Eddie and friends played for over 3 hours. No opening act. No big theatrics. Just awesome music and a little commentary here and there. These dudes put on a phenomenal show. One of my favorite moments had to be when they played "Alive" and someone had a poster that said Alive Saved My Life, and Eddie went out into the audience and hugged that person. Ok, I'll admit it. I had a few tears at that moment. Here are a few pictures I snapped with my phone (it does not have the best camera) and a few that Thomas got (his are definitely better).

It's been a while since I had been to a concert. This one was awesome. And since I want to share some of the awesomeness with you, here's a little taste. You're welcome. (Videos courtesy of Thomas).

Thank you to MaSha for once again watching the boys for us. She's the best grandma and I so appreciate her willingness to let Thomas and me have date nights and fun with our friends on a fairly regular basis. 

Seeing pink

We're seeing pink around here....through a pink eye! Yup, Stokes contracted conjunctivitis. GREAT. It actually hasn't been that bad, at least not while I've been home. When I was away in AZ last Friday morning, he apparently had quite an infection in his eye. Thomas was able to take him to the pediatrician on his day off from work that day and he got the little guy some antibiotics to clear up the pink eye, along with a mild ear infection. I swear, if anyone in our household ends up getting tubes in his ears, it will be Stokes. Regardless, this was a minor ear infection and the antibiotics are doing a great job cleaning up the pink eye, so I think we're back on track to perfect health...for now anyways. Since I got home from AZ last weekend, he woke up with a little gunk in his eye and it was red one morning, but that was all. 

We decided to keep Stokes out of the church nursery on Sunday, although he'd already been on antibiotics for several days and I doubt that it was still contagious. His brothers never even got it. But, I mean, we didn't want to freak out any of the other parents! So we brought him in to the service with us. Truth be told, I was a bit nervous about this. The few times we've taken him in to church with us, his brothers have been there as well, so we've had a bit more on our plate, but he and I would end up in the cry room, in the narthex or outside running around during most of the service. This past Sunday, however, this little guy was a saint (pun intended). He had MaSha's car keys to play with, along with her bracelets and her sunglasses and he colored with the pew pencil on the bulletin and for the most part was a well-behaved little man. He even went up and sat with Ms. Ann for the children's message (side note: I walked him up to the front and thought I could sit on the first pew and watch, but nope, I ended up having to sit with him up there to prevent any musical instruments that were set up in the front of the church from being destroyed and to keep him in one place so as not to distract the other kids.). Overall I was so proud of how well he did and how quiet he was for the most part during church. He even got a few comments from people sitting around us about how cute he was and he they loved watching him. The boys will outgrow the nursery later this summer when they turn 3 and will come in with us for the beginning of the service, then go up for the children's message and then have children's worship directly after that, but the point is that they will be in church with us, and on communion Sundays, they will stay for the whole service. It will be a transition for sure, but having Stokes do so well this past Sunday makes me feel a lot less nervous about having them in church with us. 

This whole church thing was such a tangent, but back to the pink eye. I tried to take a few pics of said eye before it got too much better. See, it's really not so bad, right? I know I missed the worst of it - oh darn. Ha! He's a cutie - that's for sure. 

When it rains, it pours

Last week was crazy. I'll just throw it out there. Let me tell you about it.

It started on the previous Friday morning (April 8, right before our fun separate ways weekend) when our washing machine broke. I'm not even kidding. I was about to head out of town when Layla, our nanny, said that the washing machine had been running for over an hour. Hmmm....that didn't seem right. Well it didn't drain at all and she and I had to wring out all the clothes in there and scoop water and pour it in the sink. Not so much fun. Then I left on my fun weekend and put it out of my mind. Sunday was a different story when we all came home after being out of town and had lots of dirty laundry. It became painfully obvious that we could not go without a washing machine for any length of time.

The craziness ensued when on Sunday evening Layla texted that she was sick and wasn't going to be able to come in on Monday. No problem. I can cover a day here and there. I pretty much watched the kids and worked when and as I could on Monday. I got a lot done during nap time - does that count?!?! I was unable to shop for a washing machine because I had all 3 kids with me that I just wasn't up for that kind of challenge. We heard from Layla on Monday evening that she had to take the whole week off to recover. Ouch. That kind of hurt. I know what you're thinking...I should just take the week off work, right? Normally I would, but since it was a crazy week and all, it just made sense that I had to go to Phoenix, AZ on Wednesday through Friday! AHHHHH! Thomas went ahead and took PTO on Tuesday so that he could cover it, and so that I could get some work done after having a disrupted day on Monday and since I would be traveling for the remainder of the week. What about Thomas taking the rest of the week off work? Also a no go. He had a big executive meeting scheduled as well as several out-of-town colleagues that were coming in for meetings and an evening event on Thursday that he couldn't miss. We were in a jam.

We realized quickly that we had to come up with a plan and fast. We called MaSha and although she was able to help, she had a little back issue and was concerned that she may struggle keeping all of them all week by herself if there was anything going on with her back. She came by on Tuesday afternoon so that Thomas and I could go shopping for....a new washing machine, what else?!?!?

Don't you just love having to unexpectedly drop a chunk of change for a new washing machine when you weren't budgeting for it?!?! Isn't that how it always goes with appliances and car repairs and such? Always so painful. UGH. More good news (insert sarcasm) - the washing machine wasn't going to be able to be delivered until the following Monday. Almost a week later. And a full week and a half since ours broke. Not ideal.

Thomas called Fifi on Tuesday afternoon and she agreed to come on down first thing on Wednesday morning. Thank goodness for Fifi and for MaSha, who were willing to tackle the job together!

They seriously bailed us out of a sticky situation. We are so thankful for both of them...and Jerry, of course!

A little icing on the top (not sarcastic this time) is that MaSha took the boys's laundry home with her a few times during the week to get it clean. Their laundry really piles up quickly and while Thomas and I can go a while before having to wash clothes, we don't really have that luxury for the boys.

Executive meetings, cross-country work travel, a major appliance replacement and lack of child care for an entire work week - any and all of these things are stressful by themselves. Add them together and Thomas and I were both past our comfortable level of stress, if such a thing exists.

So I spent Wed - Fri in Phoenix at a conference. I kept wondering what else was happening at home. It just felt like such a stressful week. You know what helped though? Having this view...

View from my hotel room window

On-property pond and golf course

This is part of the 2.5 mi "Interpretive Trail" at the hotel.
This was the perfect distance at the perfect temperature and a morning jog
felt so great to clear my mind (a little).

The only other thing is that something came up with Stokes while I was gone. Stay tuned for the next post, which will fill you in on that.

Hallelujah that as I'm writing this post, we have a brand new washing machine and it's working (more drama ensued with the delivery and installation and we had to have a plumber come, not once, but twice!!!!) but all is well now and it's been running pretty much non-stop since we got it, so we could clear out the laundry backlog. I'm glad that last week is O.V.E.R. and that we have a new washing machine. And that we had such wonderful family members that step up and help us out when we really, really needed it.

Separate Ways

A few weekends ago, our family all went our separate ways. Here's what I mean. I had a girls mountain trip planned and Thomas was going to be on his own with the boys. Instead of staying home, however, he decided he wanted to drive up to Knoxville to visit Aunt Ashley, Uncle Zack and Taylor and Anna (the boys LOVEEEEEE their cousins). All was set to go. Leading up to the weekend, Ryan was coughing a little, and there was a chance that Taylor had a little cold and that led us to get cold feet! We get a little nervous about germs and Ryan getting sick and try to avoid it at all costs. We asked MaSha if she might want some one-on-one time with our sweet angel baby....she did! So I went to the mountains, Thomas, Stokes and William went to Knoxville and Ryan stayed here in town with his MaSha. It was definitely strange for us to all have been so spread out.

A couple of good things that came out of the weekend:

• Ryan got some real 1:1 time for an entire weekend. That NEVER happens for more than a few hours at a time. I felt like that would be really beneficial and special for him.
• Thomas discovered that he could take a road trip on his own, which also gives me courage to possibly attempt this in the future...maybe...one day.
• Stokes and William got to see their Knoxville family, including their Great Granddad, who is 92 years young.
• I got time with my best friends and we had a blast.

Good things, good things.

In Knoxville, TN...
The boys played outside in the backyard, got to go to a baseball where Taylor and friends sang the National Anthem (they only stayed through the third inning b/c it was cold), hung out with their cousins and several other family members, visited PetSmart to see the animals, went out to lunch, got to see Granddad's house, and just had such a great time. Y'all would not believe the lengths that Ashley goes to when the boys come to town. This is the second time these two have been to Knoxville, and she once again secured pack n plays, borrowed boy toys - trucks and such - from neighbors, and had snacks and food that are perfect for the boys. She is too much.

Playing in the backyard

Reading stories before bedtime

I cannot handle the cuteness here.
I really can't.
William snuggled up to Anna
while she reads him a book.

Taylor, William, Anna and Stokes at Granddad's house

Taylor and the boys with the Tennessee Smokies mascots at the baseball game

Being good little car riders on the way home on Sunday

Thanks to Ashley and family for making this such a fun weekend for our crew!

Meanwhile at home...
MaSha took such good care of Ryan. I know they got to run an errand or two, she helped him walk in his gait trainer, and they went to church. I think he probably just enjoyed having all the attention to himself for several days! I asked MaSha to take some selfies throughout the weekend so I could document our weekend, even while we were apart. She kindly obliged.

Saturday morning after breakfast

Playing with this bunny toy

Ready for church

Sweet MaSha and sweet Ry-ry

Thank you, MaSha, for letting us go out of town while feeling relaxing knowing that Ryan is safe and secure. You're wonderful!

Meanwhile in Blue Ridge, GA...
We stayed at Adam's mountain house. I cannot do this place justice with descriptions alone. In fact, my pictures don't even capture the true essence of this awesome house. I went on a tour with my camera and basically took pics of every room. Please don't mind all of our bags and junk that we put everywhere when we arrived!

Living room

Living room

Loft bedroom

Loft bathroom

Porch

Porch - they have a tv that can be
mounted above the fireplace! Comfy seating
a fireplace...ahhhhh

Porch again.
Somehow I missed taking a picture, but just to confirm,
there IS indeed a hot tub. No, we didn't get in it. :(

Kitchen

Kitchen (and all of our junk)

Master bedroom

Stairs to basement

Basement common room

Basement common room
This couch pulls out into a queen bed, and this is where I slept!

Basement bathroom

Basement bedroom

Adam, me and Diane in the kitchen

So the evening we got to the mountains, we hung out for a while at Adam's house, took a walk and then headed to the downtown area of Blue Ridge and had dinner at Chester's. It was delish! They had the best chicken wings - seriously. And that is coming from someone that travels to Buffalo a lot for work! After dinner, we came on back home and talked more until it was bedtime for all of us!

On Saturday morning, Colby, Nator and I took Adam's dog on a nice long walk around Adam's cabin. When we got back I got to FaceTime with all my boys! Don't you just love FaceTime?!?!?!

William

Stokes

Ryan - he thought it was funny and kept
smiling and laughing!

Shortly afterward, we all piled in the car and drove about 15 minutes to a hiking area. We hiked for about an hour and although it was chilly, it was so nice to get some fresh mountain air and a little exercise!

After our hike, we got ready for the day and headed back downtown for lunch and a little shopping and exploring.

We did a beer and wine tasting at a local Tasting Room
while we waiting for a table at the lunch restaurant

We were famished after our hike and all had big lunches! After lunch, we wandered around a little and went into some cute boutiques and did some window shopping. Downtown Blue Ridge is really pretty cute!

Group selfie!!!

Some sweet lady saw us struggling with our selfie and offered to take our picture :)

After leaving downtown, we hit up the grocery store to get ingredients for dinner and then came back to Adam's to spend the rest of the evening there.

Adam and his beautiful dog, Mr. Z

Nator and me

Adam making guacamole

YUM! It didn't last long.

Diane and Nator

Adam and Colby on dinner prep

Delicious salad bar for dinner

Singing and dancing ensued

Later we played Cards Against Humanity :)
Nator's not sleeping, probably just laughing at something
Colby said (can't you tell she's being mischievous!??!)

Thank you, Adam, for hosting us again at your fabulous "retreat". It was amazing.

Coming back on Sunday, I was so glad to see all my boys again. I really missed them a lot over the weekend. From the stories I heard about the boys and from my experience in the mountains, everyone had an awesome weekend!