First Braves Game Photos

First Braves Game & Other Updates

We took the girls to their first Braves game Sunday the 19th. We had tried potty training the girls that weekend, but we had Mackenzie's birthday party on Saturday - which rocked - what an awesome venue!!! Anyway, I knew all along we had the party when I thought about potty training that weekend, but I didn't think it would be quite the distraction from potty training that it was. And then on top of that, the weather in Atlanta was absolutely gorgeous that weekend. Who wanted to be inside potty training? So, we bagged it for that weekend and went to the Braves game instead on Sunday.

Braves game went as expected. We stayed until about the 5th inning, and we probably were in our seats for only 1-2 full innings. We sat in the outfield not too far from the area where the kids can run the practice base they have set up. So, we did that. Waiting our turn in line was tough, but they enjoyed the running. And they ate chicken fingers and fries, and that went really well. And the rest of the time, Mike and I were just chasing them through the breezeways. We had a good time. I have photos and will post them later.

We will try potty training again in August. Let's hope for ugly 100 degree weather so I will be glad to be inside!!! And why the rush on potty training you ask? We're going on a Disney cruise in September, and diapered children aren't allowed in the pools. Only a "splash zone" which I've heard isn't that great. When we port in the Bahamas and Castaway Cay, we will obviously do the ocean, but there are going to be plenty of opportunities for the pool too, so we don't want to miss out on that. I have my eye on the prize and will try to get them potty trained before the cruise. I have say out of sheer laziness, though, that diapers rock. You can cart them anywhere. I am not looking forward to the drive to Port Canaveral with, "I have to go potty," every hour. And I'm not looking forward to helping them use public bathrooms when we're out at the park or something and they say, "I have to go potty." But, it's a natural step in their development, so I'm going to go for it.

Oh, and this past Thursday we converted their cribs to the toddler beds. Basically, we took the front rails off the cribs and raised the mattress back up so it looks like a smaller version of a day bed. They're adjusting well. The only huge change, obviously, is the freedom to get in and out of bed since they're in the same room, etc. The first night, I think they were too tired to truly notice. So, they went to bed with no problem. However, Joanna called me Friday to say that nap time wasn't going so well. It was 1 1/2 hours in and they weren't sleeping yet. I told her to quit going in there and tell them that big girls go to sleep in their big girl beds. I think it worked out. Over the weekend, Mike and I used the same approach and we didn't have any problems. The worst we've seen is that Saturday's nap, they switched cribs. How cute! But the "playing" didn't last more than 5 minutes or so. I think this will work just fine. Another cute thing is that Saturday morning, Nicole wandered down to our room (becuase we open the door once they're sleeping...we shut it initially to curb their desire to get up and wander out) and woke us up. Apparently she's been doing that to Mike during the work week too. How cute! I'm looking forward to the possibility of the end of using pack n plays when we travel. If they could sleep in a bed with rails at my parents (and on the cruise), that would be helpful.

Last Day in Hilton Head

Too many photos for much dialogue. But, I will say that the 5th photo down where the girls are sitting on their chairs with their backs to the camera is my absolute favorite!!! Best photo of the trip. Doesn't matter that you can't see their faces...that photo is the perfect beach shot...relaxation at its best. I love it!!!

More Hilton Head...Greg Russell

So, we went to Greg Russell Thursday night (despite Mike's protest). He just doesn't get it...this is a Hilton Head must...and a tradition to me. He'll get with the program by next year (and the girls will be at an even better age).

Who is Greg Russell you might wonder? He's this guy who has been singing under the big oak tree in Harbor Town for probably 30 years now. His show is geared toward the kids, but he has enough to keep the adults chuckling too. And he always asks now how many of the adults out there in the crowd used to come as kids themselves and now bring their children, so those adults "get it" and would come no matter what. I, of course, can raise my hand. :-) At some point during his program (which has unfortunately become kind of an advertisement for himself...it used to be much less commercial), he invites kids to come up and sing with him. It's really something special, and the kids love it.

Anyway, so off we went to Harbor Town. I wanted our kids to sit down on the stage with all the other kids but figured we might be a bit too young for that. Nonetheless, we tried. I stayed down on the fringe of the stage thinking that would help. And they stayed there for a few minutes, and then they started to wander. See photos below.

And now we're wandering....

Do you see right below where Greg Russell has put his guitar down to read some of the signs that the kids make? Well, Kaitlyn wandered RIGHT UP THERE...we thought she was going to touch his amps, etc. What were we supposed to do? AH!!! Luckily, she just looked and turned back around.

I Couldn't Help It

Compare this year's Hilton Head photos in the several previous posts with last year's photos below. Look how much they've grown. Wow!

Anyone think Nicole has thinned out!!! WOW! And look at their hair. It's so much longer now. And speaking of that, I think we might be nearing the first haircut! I'll keep you posted. But first, I still have to get through posting all of this year's Hilton Head photos. Check back...more to come.

Wednesday in Hilton Head

Wednesday afternoon, we went on a dolphin watching cruise. Thanks to PaPa, when the girls see a boat, they assume that they get to go on a boat ride. So, the first day when we were in Harbor Town, staring at these $1 million yachts, the girls say, "Boat Ride." Well, no one there was certainly going to give us a boat ride. Mike and I figured that maybe we should look into a chartered tour, and they had this dolphin one. Sounded good.

Oh, and I called PaPa and told him he needed to make sure that there was a Pittman boat in the Harbor next year. :-)

Then, heading down to the pool for an evening swim. Can you tell they wanted to get going!!!!

Then, we hit the beach for a bit.

While we were walking on the beach, we came across a man flying a kite low enough to the ground that it really caught the girls attention. (There were lots of kites, but some of them were WAY WAY up there!!!) This man was kind enough to entertain the girls with the tails to his kite for a while. They LOVED it! I probably have 30 photos of them playing with this kite...that's how much fun they were having. Here are just a few.

Tuesday in Hilton Head (June 30th)

We kind of got in this groove where we would bike ride first thing in the morning, hit the beach next (before the hot, hot, hot noon sun), go back to the condo for lunch and nap, hit the pool and/or beach in the afternoons after nap, go back to the condo and get cleaned up for dinner, and then do something after...usually a walk on the beach where we attempted to keep the girls dry.

Here's our Tuesday:

Let's get to it, strike a pose, there's nothing to it!!! Go Nicole.

You can see when the tide was out that there was this area that made kind of a river along the beach. It was usually about 6 inches deep or so and the girls just absolutely loved to play in it. Splash, splash, splash!!! They, of course, loved the actual ocean too though.

Taking time for a graham cracker snack on the beach. :-) And don't forget some water...of the non-salt variety...I couldn't believe that even after doing it by accident that the girls would still open their mouths in the ocean on purpose...salt water...gross!!!

Cleaned up after nap. I think we were heading for a bike ride???