Weekend Getaway to Lake Oconee

That title makes me think of fun in the sun, boating, tubing, boozing, etc.  Actually none of those things happened this weekend (especially sun - the weather was gloomy, humid and wet all weekend!), but we still had a great time.

We got up Saturday morning and took a short trip over to Reynolds to visit some dear friends, Ben and Calvin, who have a new home. They let us invade with three little ones and the dog, plus enough stuff to stay a week. We even took all us to their favorite Tavern and trusted that everyone would stay on their best behavior (looking at you, Maryn...)

Slept during the entire lunch - #angelbaby

At first JB asked "don't they have any toys???" but soon realized that they had something even better - Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime. That boy watched THREE NEW MOVIES over the weekend!!  And neither of the big kids napped all Saturday.  Wesley (and Enda) caught a cat nap wherever they could.

The boys' house is on the golf course and the kids ran around to burn off some energy (especially since all the golfers stayed indoors with the fog). We snapped some sweet pictures, too. 

That night James and Ben grilled some meat while Calvin took care of the kiddos' food and the adult sides.  He got a little help in the kitchen.

gunpowder seasoning - something wonderful from Mississippi

JB crashed early, Wesley snuggled in for a nice long evening nap, and then Wild Child Maryn stayed up till 11PM (!!!!!!) getting into all sorts of mischief.  The adults started a Monopoly game but abandoned it after a couple hours (why is that game so dang long!?)

one of us is exhausted - and it's not M!

photocred: Wild Child Maryn

photocred: Wild Child Maryn

(Two out of the three children did not sleep that night, so guess who else didn't sleep?  MAMA!! Whew, there is just not enough coffee some mornings... Fortunately Daddy is always quick to get up early with the kiddos, no matter how late he stays up talking with his childhood friend, Ben.)

We spent Sunday morning being lazy on the couch, cooking a late breakfast (or, for the kids, a second breakfast) and watching yet another movie.  Can't complain too much about that!

The kiddos were blue when we left, but something tells me the boys were happy to get their nice, quiet house back :)  Hopefully we can go back soon!

Wesley - 4.5 Months Old!

Don't worry, I'm not going to start biweekly Wesley updates!  The doctor pushed his 4-month wellness visit to yesterday to avoid healthy kids in the office during this flu epidemic.  This disappointed me at first (I love well visits), although I quickly came to my senses.  No need to introduce any more flu risk during this scary, sickly winter.

Some official stats:  15 lbs and 25 inches.  He's only 30th percentile, y'all! But his head is 65th percentile, so maybe that is why people think he's so big for his age.  So, not that big, just a genius.  :)

We talked about the normal - eating, sleeping, pooping.  I got the clearance to start solids, but I'll probably put that off for as long as possible a while.  Right now he's still 100% BFed, and shows no signs of wanting real food.  I may try baby-led weaning with Wes, or I may freak out and push purees like the last two times.

It's so funny to me how I approach sleep training with #3 vs #1. I obsessed with JB (see here and here), and then Maryn naturally starting napping and night sleeping well from the beginning (bless that child.)  With Wesley my attitude is different.  I wish he would sleep through the night, and I wish he would nap longer.  BUT, I also don't feel motivated to push him to sleep in alignment with my wishes and desires. Who's to say my thoughts on sleeping are right?  Maybe baby knows best in this situation?

For now, I'll keep getting up at 3AM when he cries (and then fist pump James in the morning when he's slept all night, which happens about once a week.)  Let's be honest, only once a night at 4.5 months is pretty darn good!  I know the middle of the night cuddles won't last too much longer and I'll be sad when they're over - mostly because it will represent our little baby boy growing up. <tears>

(On another note: he is so close to rolling over, and he practices all day long!  If he could just swing that chunky thigh a bit more he'd be on his tummy in no time.)

Saturday at the Science Musuem

I had high hopes for a family hike this weekend, but the weather disappointed once again with very low temps and awfully high winds.  Late Friday night we made a last minute decision to venture out to the (indoor) Macon Art and Science Museum.  GREAT DECISION.  The family had a blast!

I took the (2) kids and my parents to the Museum back in 2016, and, while we had a great time, the kids were still a little young.  This time each exhibit led to discussions, interactions, and excitement. (And touching - so much touching of things!! I doused the children in hand sanitizer every 10 minutes.) 

We headed up to the Discovery Center on the top floor as our first stop, checking in on the monkeys from the observation booth.  Those tricksters snuck up on us! (Startled Mama and Wesley, too!)

The Discovery Center has lots of building blocks, magnatiles, and art supplies. We played for a while and then reminded the kids we have ALL those things at home.  (Why are toys so much more fun outside of your own playroom?)

After the Discovery Center we went down to the Science room.  So much to explore - the kids learned a lot about gravity, green screens, and archaeology.

From there we exited into the "mini zoo" and saw lots of monkeys, a lemur, and reptiles.  The monkeys are always such a big hit - the kids want one at home.  (Enda would go crazy!)

At one point the kids started to scream and run back to us, demanding to be held. I panicked a bit (thought a snake had escaped!) until we realized that the cause of all the concern...

A tortoise. We need to get this kids out in the wild! They're country kids now, but they still act like city children!

We ventured (very quickly) into the Art side of the museum, but the kids were overly enthusiastic about touching the art. 

We stopped by the planetarium for our last activity of the day, and learned all about the stars, sun and moon through a very interactive show that mesmerized JB. He kept whispering to me during the show "I don't want to leave until it's OVER". (Probably because he could sense us trying to shove out early, since his little sister would not keep quiet or still!)

Wesley took the opportunity to nurse and snooze in the dark planetarium.  He behaved like a perfect angel baby the whole day.

What a fun and educational adventure! I picked up a brochure on a family membership as we walked out.  The kids are entering just the right ages to enjoy (and benefit) from these things. 

(Funny story I just had to capture. JB now dresses himself every day - a GAME CHANGER for our chaotic mornings - although I still lay out his clothes.  I had selected a plain, navy undershirt for him and assumed that is what he wore underneath. At the museum he said seriously "can I tell you something?"  He then showed me his superhero PJ shirt underneath his sweater. He thought it was hysterical - and so sneaky! I couldn't help but laugh and snap a picture. This sweet boy....)

James and JB go to the Circus

It's like that song "it's okay to be little bitty" - sometimes small offers something big.  Like the circus. A small, traveling family circus came to our small town this week, and James surprised JB by taking him to it.  JB didn't know where they were going, and I would have paid money to see his face when he figured it out. He had asked about circuses in the past, and now he's experienced one way up close!

I told James to take lots of pictures, and he complied.  I don't know if I'll get a blog post out of him, so I'll just attach the pictures and let them speak for themselves. :)

JB flew in the door afterwards and told us all about the clowns and the camels. They made the biggest impression!  So much fun and I'm glad JB got the chance to experience this with his Daddy.  (Even if I'm totally jealous they went without me!!)