Besties

Of course, James found a bestie in our first week in Alabama.... Because really, how must that intro go?

"Oh you're four and you're a boy? Let's be best friends!"

and in the case of James, upon knowing someone for five minutes... "I love you."

Meet Haydn. (NOT a typo - it's the traditional Gaelic spelling of that name so don't email me!)

Haydn IS James, born into a different family all the way on the other side of the country, but still, they are the SAME PERSON. It's awesome. They hold hands everywhere they go, they like the same superhero/super spy/drawing on any surface/fire-looks-like-fun activities, and they have been known to "go vigilante" on a boy at Chick Fil A who was picking on Haydn's younger brother, Connr. Just kidding - it's Connor.

The best part about this whole "relationship" is that it has procured us two (TWO!) invitations to join Haydn's parents (Angie & Jeremy) on their boat! Well done, buddy. You get to eat tonight.

Ok, so the first invite resulted in a broken boat, but we had fun none the less. A&J rented a cabin on the Lake Martin military property (about one hour from our house). We took the kids to a little swim area and they did what kids do.... James & Haydn repeatedly tried to swim outside the "swim area rope," Connor complained about Molly stealing his bucket/shovel/sand/lake, and Molly almost drowned herself three times. You know, the usual.

But after all that, the boys got to make s'mores.... in their underwear.

It's hot here, people.

Seriously H.O.T.

Angie and I quickly worked out a "playdate exchange" where we take the older kids while the younger ones sleep and it allows us..... wait for it..... a LONG, QUIET, HOT SHOWER. Angie may be regretting this little setup as it seems I have introduced Haydn to Trix cereal, "food experiments," and lots of other activities that involve a mess. BUT Angie and I share a mutual parenting philosophy - it's all washable - even the kids so the playdates continue...

The last time I had Haydn over, I let him and James make their own ice cream.

James picked out the "special ingredients." (Please note his bowl of DOTS is already gone)

They both chose blue for the color and named it "Superman Ice Cream."

Really, who WOULDN'T like that ice cream?

2nd trip out on the boat was far more eventful. Wakeboarding, swimming, and lunch at a lakeside restaurant.

It made us simultaneously miss our boat and be grateful that we don't own one.

Our fearless driver, Jeremy.

Look at grumpy gus. He actually had a great time, but this picture makes it look like we forced him onto the boat and then told him he hate to eat liver and onions.

Molly LOVES Jeremy. She screamed her head off (that life jacket can't be comfortable) and Jeremy holding her, while driving, was the only thing that calmed her down.

Not pictured: me, in the back, eyes closed, while everyone else takes care of my kids....

After lunch snoozer.

Well, good work buddy.

You found your hooligan soul mate.

Southern Livin....

It's an easy way of life here.... grab some sunglasses,

wander down to the local fishin hole (this is literally IN our housing community),

and do what you need to do.

LOVING the South...

We Zoo, Do You?

Boy, do we love a zoo. You would think (THINK!) that the Montgomery Zoo would be a total letdown after two years of frequenting the National Zoo in DC, right? WRONG! In fact, could not be more wrong!

Not only does the Montgomery Zoo have some interesting animals (15 kangaroos, Bengal tigers, bison - bison people!! have you SEEN the heads on those things?!?), but they have the ONE THING we love the most.... no crowds. This might have something to do with the fact that we live in the bible belt and tend to visit the zoo on Sunday mornings, but whatever.

Here we are on our first visit (FREE thanks to a reciprocal agreement between the Mont Zoo and the Natl Zoo). We were the ONLY people on this train.

See how happy we are?!

Enormous Bengal tigers sitting about 2 feet from the glass....

Molly, pretty excited about that.

And (AND!), you can feed the giraffes! I think it's 50 cents for a branch of whatever it is giraffes eat and you can walk out onto a platform and beg the giraffes to eat out of your hand. These are particularly smart giraffes because they came nowhere near James or Molly, but....

... came right up to me

closer...

eek! I am that close to a giraffe!

So cool.

as an aside.... James kept yelling "Here, Melman! Here, Melman!"

That, my friends, is the name of the giraffe in the movie Madagascar, oh and Madagascar 2. It was like he was yelling "Hey everybody! My mom lets me watch too much TV! And a a lot of it is too old for me! Here, Melman!"

Well, at least there weren't any crowds.... but the bison. Oh, the bison.

I could just feel them judging me.

Molly - 18 months

and she gets weirder and weirder....

Cute headband from Nanet.

Weird baby knee pads from Korea (thanks Angela!)

The combo? That's all Molly.

Painting in an old apron of mine...

Current paint ratio: 40% on the paper, 40% on the counter, 20% in the mouth.

This is Molly putting HERSELF in time out.

For nothing.

She's just mimicking James, including the fake cry.

I wouldn't know what to do with her if she weren't just EXACTLY me at that age.

Buh-Bye DC, Hello Sweet Tea!

Bear with me folks. I haven't done a post on either of James' two (!) birthday parties, our farewell party, or Oma & Opa's last visit, but I wanted to update you on where we're at. Literally.

After a sad goodbye to neighbors and friends in Old Town, we closed the garage door one last time.

Boo.

and the journey south began... First stop - 30 minutes south to Susannah's house for a three night stay while Brian handled the packing & moving debacle (more on that later).

It was so great to have one last visit with our good friends and we left with all kinds of little goodies like:

How to use a crossbow

and how to run a sugar high at 12noon without even messing up the house.

Thanks Sus & Co!

While the kids and I were overstaying our welcome, Brian was back in Old Town working the delicate matrix that is "getting moving trucks in and out of Pitt Mews" and "how to repair a window when a mover shoves a queen size mattress through it." Ah, the joys of moving.

Next stop, Raleigh, NC. Home of the Bruces. Just a one night stay. We had grand plans to stay two nights at a cabin in Asheville (happened), a quick stop in Georgia to see my friend Marci and her family (happened) and then one night in our new home before the trucks arrived with all of our stuff (hasn't happened).

Anyhoo, always a fun visit with the Bruces. I couldn't help but document that apparently, when Brian reads you a story, you feel like sticking your fingers in your mouth.

Off the next morning to Asheville (really Wolf Laurel, NC) for a little mini-vaca. Our lunch stop was called "Granny's Country Kitchen" and Molly tried (and inhaled) a big plate of fried okra.

Across the state of North Carolina and up one tall, tall, tall mountain later and we are at Hibernation, a two story, three level cabin at the Scenic Wolf Resort with sunsets like this:

and this:

We spent a LOT of time at the glass-enclosed pool where James wore himself OUT on the slide.

This was an antique tractor outside the main Lodge that offered a dinner where you "pick your three meats" and then you get a choice of sides including more fried okra! Love the south!

Day two: done in our typical Coyne fashion - try to do every single thing we can in one day. First stop, Marshall, NC. Population 832 (I looked it up) and home to the cutest little hipster coffee shop.

and they even had a little play area for the kids.

832! Whodathunkit?

Then into Asheville to see the Asheville Health Adventure - a kids' science museum focused on the human body and space. Yes, you read that right. That is the combo. I thought James might come out of his skin in anticipation. It's like they made the museum FOR him.

Molly on a molar.

This was part of an exhibit called the Wizard of Oz which had nothing to do with the human body or space.

James "working a machine" and "No Molly! This is just for big kids!"

Molly sliding down a giant tongue in the little kids room.

(aren't you glad I have pictures of these things and I don't just write down our experiences like "Molly sat in a mouth and slid down a giant pink tongue?")

Lunch at Mellow Mushroom and then back towards our cabin to teach James how to fish. It could not have been more idyllic. This was a trout farm with shady trees and a babbling brook! If that kid only KNEW how I learned to fish! On a hard rock at Mormon Lake in AZ, sun blazing down, fireballs stinking up my clothes, my dad yelling "be patient, be patient!" You could go a whole day and catch NOTHING.

But I digress. Back to the trout farm.... For $4/pound, they give you everything - poles, bait, pliers (to remove the hook) and a bucket to keep the fish in.

James insisted (immediately) that he did not need our help.

and it turned out - he didn't!

Nice work, little buddy. Nice work.

I highly recommend the trout farm for energetic, 4 yr-old, know-it-all, first-time fishermen.

The next day, we were off to see our new home with a short stop near Atlanta to see Marci. I was able to take this picture in North Georgia because all traffic was stopped for this guy to make a left turn.

OK, clearly traveling southbound....

Fun little caboose/museum (and by "museum," I mean they had some pictures hanging on the interior walls) across the street from our lunch place.

and then to Marci's. I have known Marci since seventh grade. She lives in Peacthree City, has three kids and drives this golf cart EVERYWHERE.

I have never seen anything like it. There is an elaborate highway of golf cart paths linking her house to the kids' school, the doctor, even WAL-MART. There is even a CARSEAT strapped to the golf cart so she can tote her little one. Marci drove us about 20 miles (seemed like!) to get a "Rita's." It's a custard/icee blend situation that was DELICIOUS!

I just had to include this picture because Marci and I had just said, "hey boys, can you take a picture of us?" and all of a sudden, we were surrounded by children needing something! It felt very... "Weren't we just wearing plaid skirts and perming our hair? Where did all these kids come from??"

While we were there, Marci was getting ready for a garage sale and GAVE (!) us this great dollhouse! Just GUESS who plays with it the most?

Thanks Marc! Great to see you - as always!

Two hours later, with bellies full of Rita's, we found our home.

Love the neighborhood, love the backyard, and (shockingly) love the weather. We are NOT, however loving the air mattresses. After seven nights and one more tonight, we are ready to see our stuff again. Our stuff, by the way, is here, but there is no one to unload it. Seriously. You know, because the nation isn't currently in an unemployment crisis or anything and there are just NO workers to be found.

Whatever. We have been keeping busy. We arrived on July 4th and James started swim lessons on July 6th. There's a community pool and the head lifeguard does his lesson and then we all swim for a couple of hours.

It's really been fine at home too because, although we don't have our things, we have each other

JUST KIDDING!

What do you do, when you don't have your stuff? Buy more stuff! We actually needed new patio furniture, a washer/dryer and a vacuum and Oma & Opa bought this fun playhouse for James' 4th birthday.

Really, some cheese and crackers and a corkscrew and we're all set.

Oh! ps. Like the new look?

It's very "us" right now.

Barefoot, playing in the grass in our fenced in yard and happy!

Come visit!