Georgia Weekend Part II

IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A BLACKOUT, NOT A BLOWOUT!

The good news is we had a great time, the bad news is our Beloved Bulldogs lost (miserably). Thomas and I went to Athens Saturday morning to tailgate before the Georgia v. Alabama game. We sadly had to leave Daddy home because he was sick (the second of many who caught this bug). We tailgated with Elizbeth, Jack, Kinsey, Max, Nanny, Pappadad, Mary, Chris, Jacob and John Scott. We made frozen drinks (thanks to Jack's portable generator) and had burgers on the grill.
The older boys played football while Kinsey cheered (and played quarterback) and the little fellows just loved getting dirty.
Thomas copied the big boys by running with the ball and then collapsing on the ground waiting to be tackled. Max showed Thomas how to play cornhole, we ate a delicious Georgia cake and watched the Goodyear Blimp circle the Stadium.

In the words of Thomas, "it was a BIG BALL".

Georgia Weekend Part I

Hasn't been much to report. Last weekend was a busy weekend ...of work. This weekend was a whirlwind but a bit more fun. Friday, Paul wasn't feeling so well so I had a hot date with Thomas at Coronas. Saturday morning we got up at the crack of dawn to go to Athens. After cleaning up Karbin's mess, stopping for gas at three gas stations, and getting lost following the GPS we finally arrived at Southern Exposure Photography. We had a photo session with Thomas who did exceptionally well after being in the car three hours. Then Mom, Elizabeth, Kinsey and I went to Atlanta for a baby shower for my cousin Catherine. It was wonderful to see all the family and Catherine looks great. We can't wait for baby "G"! We headed back to the Patrick's for a very short visit before driving home to get Paul packed for Detroit. Paul is now at a trade show until Wednesday, so it's me and Thomas for a few days.

I'm So Excited!

Today, I went to Anderson Rehabilitation Center and had an appointment with a physical therapist to check out some new technology called the Bioness L300 http://www.bioness.com. It was so exciting. They put a device just below my knee that delivered an electrical stimulation to my calf when I lift my foot. There is a sensor and remote that I wear on my shoe to detect when I'm lifting my foot. My foot moved more today than it has in thirteen years! And it's only the first day! I go back on Thursday but in the meantime, they are calling insurance to see if I can purchase my own unit.

Shaggin' on Augusta

Saturday afternoon we headed to Lewis Village to the Annual Shaggin' on Augusta. We got there at 4:00 when it started and though there were already people waiting for the band, there weren't too many people in the children's section. Thomas had fun playing on the bouncing equipment and riding Thomas the train. He also enjoyed a lemonade and corndog while we watched everyone dance to the beach music.

Labor Day Weekend Tuesday

Tuesday morning we got up and had breakfast and headed to downtown Centerville to the barbershop. Dieter cut Paul's hair as a child and he still worked at the barbershop. Thomas wouldn't sit by himself, nor would he have anything to do with the apron but he was such a big boy and sat still on daddy's lap for his first haircut. No more ringlets, but he has a precious cut and still has cute curls. He picked out his own "NANNA" flavored lollipop.




After his haircut, we went to the park downtown. Thomas loved the playground equipment, especially the swing. We finally tore him away so we could strip him down and let him play on the "Sprayground".

Labor Day Weekend Monday

Skyline Chili has always been an Ohio favorite of mine and Paul's. Apparently, we need to add Thomas to the list of admirers. The video is hysterical, but too big to download. On the way back to JuJu's we stopped at a farmer's market next to a field of sunflowers. They were at the end of their bloom, but we still got a few good shots.

Labor Day Weekend Sunday

Sunday morning, we woke up and had a big breakfast (all meals were big this weekend) and while the ladies lounged, the men went to do what men do...shop at the hardware store. One of the goodies they brought home for Thomas was a bulb with a foam rocket. It didn't take him long to figure out how to launch the rockets and he was laughing hysterically as he shot them at people, dogs, furniture...

That afternoon, we headed back to the creek, this time armed with buckets. We caught frogs and crawdads and even saw a snake.

And then there was some nekkid noodles...

Labor Day Weekend - Saturday

After awakening at oh-dark-thirty, we loaded up in the truck to head to the airport to fly to Ohio to visit JuJu, Unkie Roy and Aunt Julie. Thomas was great on the plane until the stewardess offered him one of every snack. She must not have kids. Unkie Roy picked us up at the airport and we got back to JuJu's for a huge breakfast. JuJu had quite a collection of toys that were new to Thomas, so it didn't take long for sensory overload to kick in. Reluctantly, Thomas finally took a nap after which we headed down the hill to the nature preserve. There we waded in the water and chased water sliders, crawdads, salamanders, frogs and toads. There were amazing fossils everywhere as it used to be a reef millions of years ago. The phrase of the afternoon was "WAZZAT?" with the cute little shoulder shrug. All in all, Thomas had a blast "SPASHHH"ing and getting wet and dirty.

After getting filthy in the creek, Thomas rinsed off in the frog pool and blew "BUBBULS" in JuJu's backyard. Then it was dinner and bedtime after a long day of travel and fun.