Beach Bummin' On Tybee Island

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Tripp had his first beach trip this past weekend!  We met up with the Roughen clan along 9th street on Tybee Island, Georgia for a long weekend before daycare begins and maternity leave ends.  Tripp got to meet lots of great aunts and uncles and had a chance to charm some new friends, too.  Below are some fun pictures that we took during his first Atlantic Ocean experience.  Poor kid doesn't stand a chance against the sun with his two red-headed, freckled parents... so we went out early in the morning and stayed only for a short while on the actual beach.  But I think he got the idea...  Enjoy the photos!

Feet in the water & sand 

Family Portrait (with a seemingly confused baby) 

Lovin' the Lounge Chair 

Hard to keep our eyes open in the bright sun! 

Another Family Portrait (with a less confused baby) 

Beach Bummin' with Daddy

Exhausted after a looooooong (read:  30 minute) beach adventure

Hope everyone had a great week!  

Meg

Recovery

This is how Tripp is recovering from his 2-month vaccinations today & a fun- and sun-filled, long, exciting first beach weekend in Tybee Island with the Roughen clan... Pictures from the beach to come soon.

We got another glowing report from the pediatrician today. Tripp is healthy and developing lots of strength & gaining weight.

In other news, the countdown has officially begun for Tripp's debut in daycare & my return to work. It is hard to believe that my maternity leave is coming to a close. Tripp goes this Wednesday for a few hours in daycare - sort of a trial run. ... and then he goes full time starting Monday, August 22nd. I will return to work 2 days (and some tears) later on Wednesday, August 24th. I welcome any advice that you working moms have for making the transition back to the "land of the living."

Here's to my last full week at home. I hope to make the best of it! Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend!

Meg

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Wahoowa!

Happy Friday! It is August, and you know what that means? College football is back this month.

As an Auburn fan, nothing can top last year. But as a Virginia grad, anything can. WarHoos!

Have a great weekend!
Meg

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Nothing new here...

... other than me...  fitting into my PRE-PREGNANCY, NON-MATERNITY WORK PANTS!  Today was the day that I finally braved my closet and picked out a few pieces of my non-maternity work wardrobe.  Much to my surprise, my pants fit, with 3 weeks to spare before returning to work full time.   Now if I can only lose a few more stubborn pounds, I'll be elated.

Anyway, on to more interesting (and less self-involved) news!

Happy (belated) birthday to Terri "Shug" Ferguson!  She turned 21 (give or take) yesterday, August 3rd.  Here's a picture of her with Tripp when he was about a week old.

... and... happy (belated) 9-year anniversary to my dear friend Sage Nichols & her hubby, Jack, who were married on August 3rd, 2002.  They are expecting triplet girls later this year!  Anna, Irene, and Brooks are lucky little ladies to have such amazing parents.  Check out their story at the Nichols & Nonsense Blog.  And here's a picture of Sage, Carey, and me from a couple years back.  Miss y'all!

In other news, here's one of my favorite photos of Tripp & his dad, during some morning playtime before Matt headed off to work.  They love each other, can you tell?

And a few more...

No matter what's going on around him, Tripp is constantly moving his feet, flaring his toes, rolling his ankles.  Seems like it's an expression of what he cannot yet articulate through words or signs... maybe not, but it's one of my favorite things that he does.  Fun to watch!

I just had to snap a photo of this unique napping position. 

 Tripp is very alert these days, smiling, flirting and cooing, much to the delight of everyone he meets. 

Enjoy your Thursday!
Meg

Georgia Tech Campus Visit

Last weekend, Tripp made his inaugural visit to the Georgia Institute of Technology campus!  He seemed right at home there, strolling along the sidewalks and soaking in all of the history & tradition of this great institution.

We tried to document all the important stops along the way, but we seemed to focus on athletic facilities and fraternity houses.  In our defense, the campus was a little torn up given all of the construction going on before the school year begins, so we couldn't document the first visit to the Chemical, Mechanical, Civil, or Industrial Engineering buildings (not that I know where any of those are...)  We did see the new indoor football practice facilities, but couldn't get a good photo.  Looks very nice though.  Maybe that will help get the Jackets closer to a .500 season this year (I kid, I kid...)

Anyway, here are a few photos from our visit.

 With Dad at the KA House

 Bobby Dodd Stadium

Home of the 2009 ACC Champion Yellow Jackets (oh, wait... that's still pending)

Baseball Stadium, with the BofA and AT&T buildings in the background

Waiting on the Tech Trolley/Stinger Shuttle

Softball Stadium (which is very nice, by the way.  Title 9, I presume)

Enjoy, and Go Jackets!

Meg

(Requisite Disclaimer:  The content of this post & slight digs at GT athletics were not approved by Matt Roughen)

PS.  Since we are an equal opportunity ACC household, I am hoping to get Tripp to visit the grounds of Mr. Jefferson's University sometime soon.  However, it may be quicker to photoshop a picture because it's just not quite as easy to get to central Virginia as it is to downtown Atlanta.  Stay tuned.

Sunday Fun-day

Here are a few recent photos of Tripp.  Hope everyone's having a good weekend!

Tummy Time

 

Telling Papa About Life

Concentrating

Enjoy!

Meg & Matt

Big Boy In A Bumbo!

This was our second attempt at the bumbo and it was much better received. Tripp is getting so big and strong!

This weekend was busy & fun!

Tripp made his first visit to Georgia Tech campus on Saturday morning. Pictures to come from that visit. Lots of construction going on down at the North Avenue Trade School. A new indoor football facility was recently completed, and other improvements are underway all over campus... can't wait to see the finished product.

We also helped host a going away and 30th birthday party for Aunt Katie, who is moving to Austin, TX next week. We are really going to miss her, but are excited for what lies ahead for her in a new city & state! Now, I have one more cousin in Texas... isn't there a song about exes in Texas? Anyway, we can't wait to visit some of these cousins when Tripp is older.

Anyway, we hope you all had a great weekend! Stay tuned for more pictures of Tripp's adventures.

Meg

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Easy Granola Bars (& Happy Birthday, Uncle Gil!)

Most of you probably know that I'm not a cook, nor do I bake very well.  But... One of Matt's co-workers gave us some very yummy granola bars when we had Tripp, and lucky me (and now you)... she included the recipe with the batch she sent home with Matt.

I've now made them 3 times, and they're yummy and relatively healthy, so I thought I would share the recipe.  So... here goes:

Ingredients:
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup of sunflower seeds (like the kind you put on salads)
2/3 cup sliced almonds
2/3 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz) fat free sweetened condensed milk
pinch cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
drizzle of vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 13x9-inch pan with lightly-greased foil or non-stick foil.  Leave extra foil on the ends to allow for removal from the pan after cooking.


Mix all ingredients into a bowl.  Spread into the prepared pan, evenly pressing the corners and to the sides.  Bake in the oven until the edges are golden brown (about 20 minutes).


Allow the bars to cool for 5 minutes in the pan before lifting out using the extra foil edges.  Use a sharp knife to cut the bars into squares.  Allow the bars to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

.... and here's a new picture of Tripp, kicking out of his miracle blanket swaddle.  Maybe he just needed some air conditioning in this Atlanta heat!

... and, today is Uncle Gil's 33rd birthday.  He and Tripp have not yet met, so I do not have any pictures to share, but we all hope he has a great birthday and can't wait for them to meet!

Hope everyone's having a happy hump day!

Meg

6 weeks today!

... and loving my bouncy seat!

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A Case of the Mondays!

Happy Monday from Tripp!

The weekend was busy with golf and soccer watching... Tripp loved his first British Open, learned a few tricks for when he plays his first round of links golf, and slept through most of the USA women's World Cup match.

in other news... He is becoming such a big boy. Our Monday has included more activity mat action, coupled with an attempt to sit up. Enjoy the pictures!

Meg

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