E. Rivers Update

You may remember this post during which I documented the "before" photos of E. Rivers, the elementary school that Tripp will attend if we stay in our same neighborhood.  Well, I have an update on E. Rivers!  Not the good kind, where the renovations have been completed in record time or the kind where I tell you about all the fabulous and prestigious awards they have received.  This is actually a bad update on Tripp's potential future educational institution.

E. Rivers Elementary has been in the news lately for what can only be described as parental stupidity & greed.  One of its esteemed PTA members (and fellow Peachtree Hills resident) was recently arrested and charged with embezzling donations to the PTA for her own personal use ... over $50k in donations!  Word is that she's already put it back in the school's coffers, but to quote one of those football commentators on ESPN, "C'mon, man!"

Add that little story to the recent Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal.... and wow.  Not the kind of news that attracts more families to the public school system, I would imagine.

In other more positive news... below is a fairly recent photo of Tripp, who is really trying to walk, yet not having much success thus far.  We'll give him an E for effort, though.  Don't worry, like crawling, I an not really encouraging walking because I know it will drastically change the pace of our lives!

Have a great weekend!
Meg

Babies, Babies Everywhere!

As if we did not have enough fun with all the Easter egg hunts, we also spent some time over the Easter weekend with some new friends.  Several of my high school friends have had babies in the past year or so, and we all got together over the weekend to introduce all the kiddos to one another.  I attempted to list each of the kids' ages in the last photo, but I am not 100% sure i have them all correct.

Anyway --- We got together and headed to the Tot-Lot in Crestline Village, a playground that was a staple during our youth.  Below are some photos from the gathering, which was loads of fun and surprisingly, not too much chaos & minimal fussiness (seriously!)

Lucky Lad:  Tripp & the Ladies

From Left.: Alice Perry, Triplets Anna, Irene, & Brooks Nichols (I think I got the right order),
Mary Fields Collins, and Frances McCalley

The ladies, from Tripp's perspective (opposite order as listed above)

The Whole Crew

Front Row:  Alice, Tarver, Will & Mitchell Perry, Charlie Collins,
Allison, Trey & Carolyn McAlistair, & Baby Irene Nichols (in car seat)

Back Row:  Jake, Katie & Mary Fields Collins, Adair & Khristian McAlistair, Meg, Tripp & Matt Roughen, Anna Ruth & Frances McCalley, Erin Chambers, Jack & Sage Nichols with Brooks & Anna Nichols

Just Girls & Their Children

Front Row:  Tarver Perry with Alice (4.5 mos) & Will (2 yrs), Charlie Collins (3 yrs),
Allison (5 yrs), Carolyn (6 yrs)  & Trey McAlistair (18 mos), Baby Irene Nichols (4.5 mos, in car seat)

Back Row: Katie & Mary Fields Collins (3.5 mos), Adair McAlistair, Meg & Tripp Roughen (10 mos),
Anna Ruth & Frances McCalley (15 mos),
Erin Chambers, and Sage Nichols with Brooks & Anna (4.5 mos)

(I tried to get all the ages right... sorry if I fudged any)

We loved seeing everyone and Tripp is excited about all the new friends he met.  We hope to see all of you again soon!  It's going to be fun when all these kiddos can play together!

Meg

Resolution 3: Hunt Easter Eggs

Well, of all the resolutions so far, we blew this one out of the water with 3 different Easter egg hunts.  I would like to say that our skills sharpened over the course of the three hunts, but alas... they did not.  Instead, Tripp was more interested in chewing on the very first plastic egg he found rather than filling his basket with loot.  Oh well, there's always next year, I suppose!

Hunt #1:  Our Neighborhood

The first hunt was on the Sunday before easter & hosted by our sweet next-door-neighbors Kara, Bobby, Elizabeth, and Allen Morris.  It was held in the courtyard of our condo, and included all the neighborhood kids, of which I think there are 7 within a couple years age.  It was a fun way to spend one of the first warm, spring afternoons.  Unfortunately, that warm day also came with mosquitoes, so we were dodging those.  All in all, it was a fun event.  Here are a few photos of Tripp during his very first hunt!

Found one...

... and only one!
(red hair, confirmed)

Hunt #2:  Daycare

Next, Tripp participated in a hunt at his daycare on the Thursday afternoon before Easter.  They did a great job of separating the infants from the big kids, and had more eggs than I could count.  Looks like he had a great time with his buddies from his class & his teachers.

These healthy eggs were stuffed with Cheerios

Hunt #3:  Birmingham

Next, we enjoyed a hunt in Birmingham with what felt like a million other kids and a reported 8,000 "hidden" eggs, all filled with (melted) chocolate and a few prizes.  It was quite an experience and I think that both Tripp and cousin Ann Fulton were a bit overwhelmed.  Below are some snapshots from that mega-hunt.

Prepping for the action with Ann Fulton (19 months)

"Gimme the eggs!"

On your mark... get set...

GO!

Tripp & his loot

The Easter Bunny stopped by, and Tripp checked out his dental work

The Matt Roughens

Resolution #3 was a great success.  Can't wait until next year when the hunting skills will likely improve.  Hope the Easter Bunny was good to all of you and that you are enjoying the candy still!

Meg

Daycare Update: 10 months

I know, i know... I've been a blogger MIA this past week.  I'll try to catch up this weekend & fill all (2) of you in on our Easter and other fun, but in the meantime, here are some recent photos of Tripp at daycare during this, his TENTH month.  (Can you believe he's almost 1?  wow...) 

Making a Birdfeeder with Corn & Bird Seed.
Sounds & looks like an ambitious (read: messy) project for infants,
but I'm not the one who has to clean it up, so I'm all for it.  Broadens his horizons.

"Cheese"
Hangin' at the playground.

Making a handprint for some uber-crafty art project

Tripp loves to "read" these days. 
If we were to hypothetically put him in his crib in the morning with a book,
it would hypothetically buy us an extra 30 minutes of sleep while he entertained himself.
(Not that we have tried this...)

More playground love.

He's a joy!  ... and a nut!  His daycare teachers have already warned us that at school (like at home) this little dude is full-throttle all the time and as curious as they come.  So... prayers & good vibes will be much appreciated once he starts walking!  We are in for quite an adventure!

Have a great weekend & look for more (hopefully, interesting and insightful) posts after this weekend.

Meg

Belated Easter Wishes (and Resolution #11)

We hope everyone enjoyed their Easter/Masters weekend.  More to come on Tripp's first Easter, but for now, here are some photos of him enjoying the loot from one of his 3 easter egg hunts.

yum.... plastic...

Stay tuned for more Easter photos...
Meg

PS. Forgot to mention another of our 2012 resolutions, Resolution #11:  Experience Masters Sunday. 

Below is a shot of Tripp in his Masters finest on Masters Sunday 2012.  He was oblivious to the fun round of golf, including 2 playoff holes between Bubba Watson (the eventual winner) and Louis Oosthuizen (of "double eagle" fame).

Swinging in Eatonton

Last weekend, while I was out of town for a fabulously fun baby shower for my friend, Lindsay and "Cleatus," her son due to arrive in May, Tripp & Matt spent some time with Grammy & Pops Roughen in Eatonton, Georgia.  It appears he had a grand time swinging!  Fun!

Meg

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.4

Catch Me If You Can

Tripp is on the go!  Hope everyone has a great Good Friday!

Meg

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.4

Wonder what he's thinkin'?

"The Buckeyes busted my bracket"

or

"Monday, again?"

E. Rivers "Before" Shots

It was recently announced that the elementary school for which we are currently zoned will be renovated in the coming year to accommodate some new students after the APS rezoning.  So, I thought I would take some "before" shots so that we could see the progress over time.  We are not sure if Tripp will actually attend E. Rivers, as we may not be zoned for it when he enters kindergarten, depending on where we live at the time.  We are hoping to stay in this area, but time will tell!

Enjoy E. Rivers, Before:

Carpool Line

Playground

From the front

Tripp at his (potential) elementary school

E. Rivers (before)

The Athletic Fields, behind the school

Looking forward to sharing the "after" photos in a few years.

Meg

Cupcake!

One of Tripp's classmates at daycare turned 1 last week, and it appears Tripp very much enjoyed his first cupcake as part of the celebration!

Hope everyone's having a good week!
Meg