Bluegrass Boys

The Rutledge crew ventured to Kentucky last week to see family and friends in Nashville, Clarksville, Paducah and Glasgow. It was a three-state, six day journey that enabled us to get out of Raleigh for the first time in ten months and allowed the boys to see many, many faces for the first time. Some highlights of our whirlwind adventure:

• 1,080 miles by air
• 390 miles by car
• Three great aunts and uncles in Nashville (great-great aunts & uncles to the boys)
• Aunts, uncles, grandparents in Clarksville
• Carrot cake from Mary Margaret tasty enough to write home about
• The boys napping with Aunt Melba and Aunt Susan
• Aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, nieces, nephews, neighbors, & co-workers in Paducah
• Gus and Aunt Ashley as napping buddies in the recliner
• Owen and Granddaddy sneaking in a nap as well
• Birthday cake and presents (Have I ever mentioned that Amy is two days older than me?)
• A great political discussion between Derek & Billy
• A barbecue festival downtown on the river
• Whiffle ball, hide-and-seek, Red Light/Green Light, and card tricks
• The Jefferson Davis Monument
• Aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, a second cousin, high school friends, and neighbors in Glasgow
• A typical Kentucky thrashing at the hands of the Florida Gators (19 years and counting....Go Big Blue)
• More birthday cake and wacky birthday ice cream
• Heartburn from so much birthday cake
• Gus rolling over for the first time
• An unwinding, late-night visit to the hot tub with a glass of wine in the rain
• A humorous gas-passing exhibition for fellow travelers in the Nashville Airport
• The boys' certificate from Southwest Airlines honoring their first plane rides

It was really good to make the trip back. We were really tired by Monday afternoon when we arrived back in North Carolina, but it was a fulfilling kind of tired. We have many, many pictures and yet only captured a fraction of the activities on our camera -- here are a few. Cheers everyone!

Nana wraps up Owen after a bath in the sink.




Aunt Rhonda and Uncle Ken get to see the boys for the first time.




Granddaddy shows Owen the art of "le nap."




Uncle Derek and Mason practice card tricks.



GJ and Pappy get some quality lap time with their grandsons.



Uncle Joe and Aunt Teresa meet the boys for the first time.




Pappy and the boys take in the breeze from the front porch.

Tucker was in great hands with our neighbors Chad & Claudia while we were gone. He was happy to see his mom and dad when we got home and was proud to show off a renewed, old talent of pulling my shoes out of the closet. Here he is posing in front of seven of my shoes -- all left shoes by the way. Odd indeed -- what a dog.

And finally, the boys crashed hard upon their return home.