Tessa is 3 months!

Tessa turned a whopping 3 months old while we were in NC. She continues to be a superstar. I don’t know what I did to deserve such a good baby, but I’ll take her! She freely offers us smiles and is starting to coo and talk to us more and more. The girls can always make her smile and laugh, and I love to see them interact with her. Summer is always telling me, “Mom, she is SO adorable!” She sure is! Summer is always giving her a snuggle or a nuzzle and still wants to hold her all the time.

She goes to bed between 7-8, whenever the big girls go to bed, and will usually sleep until around 5. After I nurse her she’ll sleep until 9 or 10. But in the past week she’s slept from 7p-9a 2 or 3 times. AMAZING!! She must be going through a growth spurt! To help my boobs from exploding in the morning I’ve been pumping every night before bed, which is helping me to build up a nice little supply of milk in the freezer for a rainy day.

She’s rolled over twice in the past week, both times right after I put her down on her tummy. Nothing consistent, but I’m pretty sure she’s at least 6 months ahead of both of her sisters in doing this. She’s also really strong on her legs and likes to stand up.

She loves to play pat-a-cake and itsy bitsy spider.

She is still a great traveler and will sleep in her car seat when we’re out and about, and will sleep in the baby carrier too.

She is back to a regular pooping schedule, thank goodness. I really didn’t want her to have to get her bum violated by the doc again.

I really hate to rub it in, but she really is practically perfect in every way!

Spring Break 2013 Pt. 3

And now, the thrilling conclusion to our Spring Break!

After our “leisurely” hike up to the falls, we made our way to Raleigh, NC where Derrick’s sister lives. We got in kind of late so we all just said a quick hello then hit the sack.

The next day was cold and rainy so we all just hung out at home. My darling nieces Hayley and Lindsey had 2 little shadows the entire time we were there…they adored them. And they were so sweet to them, playing with them and even letting them sleep in their beds with them! And my two nephews were just as sweet as well. Just cute and kind boys. Since we had just capable babysitters, we left all 3 of our girls with them and Derrick and I went downtown to eat some authentic NC barbecue at The Pit. HOLY MOSES IT WAS DELICIOUS. We were a little skeptical walking in because it was pretty posh for a bbq joint, but everything was amazing. I still dream of this meal.

The next day we went to breakfast at Big Ed’s City Markey and had ourselves another delicious southern meal. Are we the only ones who plan their vacations around places to eat?? One thing I used to love when I lived in NC was the soda Cheerwine. It tastes just like I remember it!

After breakfast we went to a place called Pullen Park, a little park with a carousel, boat and train rides, and play structures. The kids had a great time, and all rides were only a buck!

Saturday was so nice and sunny so we just hung out at home and sat outside basking in the sun for a bit. It was divine. We went to one of Brandon’s basketball games and had Chick fil a for lunch. We ended with some great bbq pinwheels for dinner at home (Derrick is seriously a grill master) and some of Daneise’s famous chocolate chip cookies. We had such a great time just hanging out and chatting with everyone. The girls had a blast, so much so that we decided to stay an extra day and just drive home in one day, instead of breaking it up into two. Plus, Hannah was sick and we didn’t want to infect the household we were going to be staying with Saturday night, especially since they have a new baby. And speaking our babies, ours was the best. She slept in the closet on the floor and pretty much slept through the night. What a champ.

We drove through 8 states, 2067 miles, and spent 34.5 hours in the car. And it was SO MUCH FUN. Really, there are only good thoughts when I think back on it. The only downer was when I dropped my phone in the toilet the night before we left NC! Thankfully the rice trick pulled through and it’s been fine ever since. The whole reason for this trip was so that Derrick could cross Kentucky and West Virginia off his list, with the end destination being NC. And since they are moving to Minnesota this summer we knew we had to go now or else we’d never go! And now we are thrilled to have family only 4 hours away!!! We already told them to expect us up there a lot! I may even keep a toothbrush up there. :)

Can’t wait for our next family vacay!

Spring Break 2013 Pt. 2

We got into Gatlinburg Monday night and checked into the condo we found on vrbo.com. We were a little skeptical about the place since we had no confirmation number or email or anything, so when we called a few hours outside of Gatlinburg to confirm and set up for a key pickup since we were getting there after office hours, we weren’t really surprised to find out they had no record of us. Luckily our unit was still available, and even better was that the rate they gave us was significantly cheaper than what the owner quoted us. Bonus! The unit was awesome…nice and big and clean. 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, full kitchen, balcony, whirlpool tub. And so close to the strip. We didn’t drive anywhere once we got there, which was so nice because traffic is terrrrrible.

Tuesday morning we walked up the strip, full of touristy things, and took the gondola up to Ober Gatlinburg, a ski resort with even more tourists traps. The girls and I thought it was a pretty fun ride, and Derrick just tried not to think about falling to his death. Ha. We checked out the view from the top and let the girls play around on a playset outside for a bit. It was so nice to be outside in the sun! They also rode the slowest, lamest, most expensive no-music carousel on the planet. But they didn’t care, they loved it.

We headed back down and had lunch at Bennett’s, a BBQ joint that was recommended to us by the tram operator. It was really good, and they were great with the kids—very accommodating. We’d definitely go back. By now it’s well past naptime but all the kids are doing great so we continue on our way and head for the aquarium. Apparently the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies is the #1 aquarium in the country! And it was really amazing. The best part was this shark encounter, where you stand on a moving walkway through tunnels of the shark exhibit. It was like 15 minutes long! Super cool and the sharks got so close. We all loved it. They had a couple tanks with cutouts in the middle where kids can stand in them, which they girls loved. The penguins also had a space like that and they went through a couple times to stand in the middle of the penguins.

We went back to the condo for dinner and after baths went back out for some dessert. We went to Kilwin’s where the girls got Superman ice cream cones, Derrick got a pecan log, and I chowed down on some fudge. It was delicious.

In case you’re wondering where Callister girl #3 is, she’s been peacefully hanging out or sleeping in her car seat. That girl is a champ. Everyone slept great that night, which is good because the next day we would need lots of energy for the hike we went on.

We checked out Wednesday morning and had breakfast at the Pancake Pantry, which someone recommended to us. The reviews didn’t completely say it was amazing, but there was always a huge line to get into it. It was not amazing. Sure, the girls got bear shaped pancakes with M&M’s for eyes and buttons, but my crepes with canned peaches and raspberries were good but not out of this world. Fun little place to go to though.

We researched the best hikes to go on, and decided on one to Laurel Falls, which is the only paved hike in the Smoky Mountains, and supposedly very kid/stroller friendly. So we start the 1.3 miles up with the double stroller and the single umbrella stroller. And it’s tough. Really tough! We’re sweating within minutes, and I’m sure the wheels on our strollers are going to pop off at any minute. Sure it’s paved, but like 30 years ago! There are potholes and roots all over the place, and I’m positive I’m going to just straight up launch a child out over the steep drop offs at every pothole I hit. So many times I wanted to quit and turn around but then I’d see the next mile marker (which were NOT evenly spaced at all) and get a tiny boost of encouragement. Every person that passed us, either going up or down, commented on how brave we were to take 2 strollers all the way up. Most gave us pep talks, “You’re almost there! You can do it!” We were exhausted, but we made it! And all the kids cared about was having a snack.

The comforting warning signs on the way up. The caravan up!Our “paved” trail up.View from the top. Perhaps a little more pretty in the summer or fall? 4/5 of us at the top! I look like a giant pink marshmallow in that shirt. Yikes. We stopped at a little park on our way to the trail (yeah…we got lost) and Summer went exploring with Derrick and then with me. We took a little selfie down by the stream.

And then we were on our way to NC! We loved Gatlinburg. I went when I was in high school, but it was fun to go again. It’s totally touristy, and so outdated, but there’s just something so charming about it, and totally seems like the kind of place you go every year and love it just because it’s a family tradition. I can’t wait to go again actually, but next time with some other families! Who’s with us?

Spring Break 2013 Pt. 1

Derrick still had a week of paternity leave so we decided to take a road trip to NC to see his sister. They’re moving to MN and Derrick had never been to WV or KY so we had to drive out before they left so he could check those states off his list.

We left at 5am the day after Easter and drove to Louisville, KY. Derrick had always wanted to go to the Louisville Slugger factory and museum so we hit that up first. As we went to buy our tickets, we were informed everyone was FREE that day due to opening day of baseball and their unveiling of a new Lego exhibit. Score!! The tour was really cool, and we walked right through the factory and saw the bats being made. We saw Bryce Harper’s (Nationals) bats being made like 2 feet away from us. It was really cool, too bad they didn’t let us take pictures! So one thing I didn’t know was that players have bats made specially for them…different weights and stuff. They had a batting cage where you could hit with professional bats that different players use. Derrick hit balls using Ted Williams’ bat. That sucker was heavy. I think Derrick tipped a lot of balls but never made a direct hit. I’m not surprised…I doubt I’d even be able to swing that thing! Derrick bought a bat and had it personalized with his name, it’s pretty sweet.

Check out this sweet replica of Miller Park made out of Legos! Took them 9 years to make it!

His new personalized bat!

After the museum we drove by Churchill Downs, where the Kentucky Derby is held. We were going to do a tour but didn’t really think the kids would do too well since we were already well past naptime. Plus, we’re not super huge horse race enthusiasts. We were good with a picture.

We then continued on our way to Gatlinburg, TN where we would spend the next two nights. On the way we saw signs for the first KFC, so of course we stopped. That’s what I love about road trips…the random spontaneous stops you can make and see things you never would have otherwise. It was pretty cool…a museum connected to a KFC restaurant. You could eat in the middle of the restaurant if you wanted to. We didn’t eat there, but it was a fun little stop in Corbin, KY.

Posing with the Colonel!

All 3 girls were total champs throughout the whole trip. I was mentally preparing myself for days leading up to it, telling myself to just not care how many snacks they ate, how many movies they watched, or whether they slept or not. And it was fabulous. We all had a great time. Stayed tuned for part 2, Gatlinburg!

Easter 2013

(Talk about a self-timer fail. Too dark, not in focus, I’m kinda blurry from running in with the babe. And I’m still having some mild regret about not getting the girls matching dresses.)

Another year, another Easter blog! This is the 9th year we’ve held our Easter: Dinner and Tournament! It was cold this year, as it is many years, but that didn’t stop us from having the egg toss. The Spencer’s regained their title this year!

It’s crazy to think that 9 years ago there were only 6 adults and 1 newborn. This year we had 14 adults and 15 kids! It was a little chaotic but fun. Adding to my stress was the fact that we were leaving for a week-long road trip early the next morning. Luckily for me, I have some pretty amazing friends who essentially did all the clean up for me!

When the girls woke up we had them look for their baskets. Hannah’s was in the puzzle cabinet, Summer’s was in the shower, and Tessa’s was under the piano bench. While they examined their treasures, the Easter Bunny hid some eggs in our backyard! They had a blast finding the eggs, especially the special gold and silver eggs with a dollar in each.

Proof that sometimes they do get along! Summer found the silver egg!Hannah miffed that she didn’t find the silver egg!  

It was a great day to spend with friends and think about the true reason behind Easter, the ultimate sacrifice made for us. The girls loved learning the story about the resurrection and making a little tomb out of a paper plate, and by the end of the week, could actually say “resurrection”, they were so proud! Happy Easter!