Mt. Airy

Last weekend the Rutledge crew packed up on a Friday afternoon and drove out of Dodge. Our friends Brian & Kelly Wise have a house out in the country in Mt. Airy, North Carolina, home of Andy Griffith and the model for Mayberry on the TV show.

Owen & Gus were incredibly excited to be around Gracen & Cate, and Tess seemed very happy being around two girls for a change. She actually got to play with dolls and push a baby stroller instead of playing with trains and Planet Heroes.

For Amy & me, it was a great chance to get out of town without cellphones, email & 98 degree heat to spend quality time with Brian, Kelly and all the kids. The Wises have a great piece of property on top of a hill where the breeze always seems to blowing, which comes in handy on warm summer days.

There was fishing, four-wheeling, camping, marshmallow roasting, slip n' sliding, and plenty of relaxing. It was a tremendous getaway, one we hope to be able to do again.

Cheers!
The boys' unanimous favorite moment of the trip: Roasting marshmallows. Forget catching fish, throwing rocks, staying up late, or sleeping outside. The guys were in hog heaven with those little fluffy white puffs of sugar.
If you have a farm, you just have to have a four-wheeler.



Tess proved that she is indeed Dad's daughter. Corn on the cob is her new favorite food. As if I needed another reason for this little girl to have me wrapped around her finger....

Most men would be ashamed to be seen lugging a Serta mattress into a tent to camp for the night. Not these guys. Hey, the women slept inside in beds with Tess & Cate!

The fishing pond was stocked with bluegill that were pretty easy to catch, which made Owen's first fishing experience very exciting. Owen is definitely showing signs of being an outdoorsman. He was very patient while we fished and was in his element all weekend, content to fish or just throw rocks by himself into the pond. Apart from the marshmallow roasting I think his highlight may have been picking out which lure to use to catch those monstrous bluegill.


Three peas in a pod were Owen, Gracen & Gus.

Tess was so happy to be amongst female companions. Gracen & Cate show Tess that girls can have fun jumping on the bed too.


The slip n' slide was a joy for all the kids, especially Tessa Lou.


Sunday morning saw a great hike down to a creek looking for deer footprints...and deer poop. On the hike back up the mountain, Gus was happy to ride the four-wheeler with Gracen & Brian. Owen was happy strolling back up with his mom.


Being out in the country spoiled us. It was so peaceful. The bullfrogs would come out at night & compete with the crickets for control of the songs for the evening. The sunrises were incredible...

...even if you were snoring away on a Serta mattress in a tent while the sun came up.

Happy Father's Day

Derek, you are an incredible dad! Happy Father's Day!

Race for the Cure

Normally when Gus, Owen or Tess are awake before 6:00am on a Saturday morning, Mom & Dad aren't happy. But Amy & I actually woke the crew up before sunrise this morning. Today was the Komen Race for the Cure over in Raleigh, as 22,000 runners united for the annual race for breast cancer research.

Amy & I had planned on running the first 5K race at 7am and then coming back home in time for breakfast with the kids. But we couldn't in good conscience ask someone to provide childcare beginning that early in the morning. So we signed the boys up for a fun run at the Kids' Zone and took the whole crew.

I ran the 5K at 7:00 while Amy entertained Gus, Owen & Tess. Then I took over with kiddos as Amy ran in a women's-only race at 7:45. The race is such an uplifting event as it winds through older neighborhoods in Raleigh where residents turn out to cheer people on and shower runners with their yard sprinklers. Pink shirts are everywhere as breast cancer survivors and their teams of supporters come out in droves. Bands and church choirs dot the course and perform for hours as runners make their way in three different races.

Meanwhile Amy & I had built up the notion of a kids' race for Owen & Gus -- how else were we going to get 2 four year-olds up at the crack of dawn without a scrum? So after our races we headed over to the kids' section where their "race" was supposed to take place. As it turned out the start to finish was probably 50 ft. which we figured would be a big disappointment.

So Amy & I decided to line the boys up for the 1 mile fun run which was taking place right next to the kids' section. The boys were all about it. Owen & Gus ran their little hearts out the whole way, stopping a couple of times to catch their breath. When they crossed the finish line you would have thought they won the Boston Marathon. Two excited little boys for certain.

So it was a long -- but very enjoyable day for the Rutl crew. Gus & Tess were falling asleep at the dinner table tonight. Thus, it's bedtime. Mom & Dad arent' too far behind.

Cheers!

Mom, the sprinter boys & Tessa Lou

The Rutledge dude runners.
Tess enjoyed the "pink" theme as she found a resting place.

The kid crew in a picture which is essentially a microcosm of their sibling relationship -- Gus gives Tess his Chick-fil-a cow stuffed animal while Owen scrubs Tess's head. Brotherly love comes in different forms.

Little Mobile Mama

Tess is fully mobile these days. She is enamoured with Owen, shouting "Ohh! Ohh!" whenever she sees him. Of course Owen will still have nothing to do with her. He will come around someday.

In the meantime Tess intently watches everything her big brothers do and tries to emulate it. When they laugh at something on TV, she laughs. When they get the sillies and spin around and around in circles, she does the same. It is quite comical.

Some people that see her think she's a spitting image of Dad and Gus. I see expressions and mannerisms of Owen. In reality she's probably an amalgamation of all of us.

Here she is stumbling around with purse, jewelry, & keys -- shades of Gus Edward here. Note Harper's quick departure when she sees the young one scampering around -- the cats are none too happy to have yet another human walking around to run from.

Cheers!

Dad's Weekend

So this weekend is going to be Dad's weekend with the kids. Amy is going out of town for a training course with our church so Owen, Gus & Tess will be hanging out with their pop until Sunday night.

I went to the grocery store to load up for the weekend. When I came back, Amy commented on the dietary selection I had chosen -- pizza, chips & salsa, burgers, squeeze yogurts, muffins for breakfast. Hey, if there is an easy button for Dad to push over the next 48 hours you better believe I'm going to be pushing it over & over!

Amy is going to miss her tennis idol potentially winning his first French Open. Now that his main competition in Rafael Nadal was upset earlier this week, Federer has a good shot. Thank goodness for DVR.

This past week has been the first since Amy has resumed "full-time" hours at work. It has been a juggle for sure -- hence the lack of blog posts, my apologies. But we made it through the week with everyone's limbs still attached and minimal emotional scars. Onward soldiers....

I have jumped on the Twitter bandwagon -- to follow Coach Calipari's endless sea of posts more than anything else. I think I have made 2 posts since getting on. Too much technology to keep up with. Amy is on Facebook, but I have refused to jump on that train so far. It's like cellphones. I held out (proudly) for a long, long time before I acquiesced and got on board with mobile communication. Now, I wonder how I functioned without it. I figure it's the same thing with Facebook. I'll hold out until it is mandatory and then wonder what I did for so long without it.

Tweet, tweet everyone. Have a good weekend.

Cheers!

Happy Splashing

The Rutledge crew is going to be resting & relaxing this weekend. In fact, we have already started.

I think it's safe to say that Tess may be a water bug. Her first experience in the kiddie pool was full of chuckles.

Cheers to everyone for a safe & fun Memorial Day weekend.

Basketball Goals, Strawberries, & a Clay Court Dream

Amy & I celebrated our 10th anniversary over the weekend. We shipped the boys off to Durham for a sleepover at Ms. Ann and Dr. Ron's house, and Dorothy stayed at our house with Tess. Although we didn't go far or take an elaborate trip, Amy & I did make a night of it in Raleigh, hitting two of our favorite restaurants and staying at a hotel downtown. It was a good break from the role of Mom & Dad that we play every day and to remember that we were husband & wife first before we were parents.

As we talked about things we had done over the past 10 years and things we wanted to do in the future, I was able to coax an agreement out of my wife that a basketball goal in the driveway needed to be in our future plans. Yes it was a random interjection, and yes it may have been influenced by Makers and Coke. But the tape recorder in my pocket doesn't lie.

The weather has reverted back to spring here in central North Carolina. Yesterday the temperature didn't break 70 degrees. For the first time in years, North Carolina is no longer in drought status as spring rains have been plentiful.

Our hummingbirds have finally returned to the house this past week. The boys decided to name the hummingbirds that come to feed outside our kitchen window. Whoever spots the bird at the feeder first gets to stake that claim that the hummingbird is his or hers -- "Flappy" (Gus), "Wings" (Mom), "Scooter" (Dad), or "Batman" (Owen). Tess just thinks we're all nuts.

Yesterday I took off a little early to go with Amy & the kids to the strawberry patch up the road. Owen & Gus did much better on this expedition than they did the last time when Gus ran out on the highway and nearly put Amy into cardiac arrest. The boys understand now that the red berries are the ones to pick as they know now that the green ones don't taste very good when they're made into smoothies.

For her part Tess was happy as a clam. She has finally started walking full-time so she slowly trotted up and down the strawberry row, picking berries to squish between her fingers and eating the goods before they made it into her basket.

Amy is into full-blown tennis mode. She dusted off her racket from storage and has been adamant about getting a game with her friend Julie or with me or with the dog for that matter. This woman is ready to play some tennis! Amy says it's because she loves the game and hasn't played such a long time. And it is true that Amy doesn't get enough time for herself and that she's been somewhat busy.....for the past four years.

But part of me suspects that the recent interest has something to do with the fact that the French Open begins this weekend and a certain Swiss tennis player recently knocked off Rafael Nadal in a clay court tune-up over in Europe.

If Roger Federer announces he's looking for a mixed doubles partner, Gus, Owen, Tess and I may be scratching our heads this weekend to find Amy on the tele from Stad Roland Garros instead of out on the deck for a Memorial Day cookout!

Cheers!

Game 7

Tonight is Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between Carolina and Boston. To most of the country this game means nothing -- "Wait, Versus is a TV channel?" And even in Boston the Red Sox and Celtics are center stage while the Bruins play second fiddle.

But in the Triangle where we have no other professional sports, NCAA basketball is over, Koach K is out promoting his latest book, and everyone is tired of the never ending John Wall recruiting saga, tonight's Game 7 is huge.

Caniacs love their Hurricanes, and despite the disappointment of blowing a 3-1 series lead fans are hopeful that Carolina can turn things around to advance to the conference finals. This has been an odd series. The three games that Boston has won have all been blowouts -- 4-0, 4-1, and 4-2. Carolina has dominated in two of their wins 3-0 and 4-1.

So the hockey analysts will say that the winner tonight will be determined by which team can force its game on the other team -- Boston with its tough, physical play or Carolina with its speed up front.

And while that may be true, I say the winner will be determined by something more scientific.

Notable people
Boston boasts Paul Revere, Thoreau, Edgar Allan Poe, John Adams and JFK.
Carolina claims John Edwards, Jesse Helms, Dean Smith and Michael Jordan.
Advantage: Bruins

History
Boston: American Revolution and Boston Tea Party
Carolina: The Lost Colony, segregation
Advantage: Bruins

Beverages
Boston: Harpoon IPA, Sam Adams
Carolina: Pepsi, Carolina Pale Ale, and sweet tea with so much sugar it crunches
Advantage: Canes

Sports
Boston: Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots, Bruins, Boston College
Carolina: Hurricanes, UNC/Duke/NC State
Advantage: Push (depends on your flavor)

Arenas
Both are named for banks -- Boston's TD Banknorth Garden (shameful) and Carolina's RBC Center.
Advantage: Push (lame corporate sponsors)

Mascots
Boston: Blade, a bear

Carolina: Stormy -- is he a Pig? A Bear? A Hybrid?

Advantage: Canes (there are no bears in Massachusetts!)

Well that didn't help. So I think it will come down to who scores first, especially if the Bruins are able to draw first blood and take Carolina off their game. If it's close watch out for Jussi Jokinen of the Canes. He has scored two game winners so far in the playoffs. It should be a great game.

Go Canes!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. We wouldn't be anywhere without them.

Our crew celebrated Mother's Day with homemade greeting cards, a jog, a rosebush (that Owen kept as a surprise for all of about 15 minutes), and a cookout. It was a good celebration for the wonderful mom in our family that keeps us ticking. Cheers to you Amy B.

Happy Mother's Day!

Steppin' Up

Tess has been slow to embrace walking. About a month ago she took her first steps to Amy & me, and we thought she would be off and running. Since then she has little interest in walking and crawls everywhere. Lately she has taken to her sign language, clapping her hands together, looking up at us, and holding her arms out -- her sign for "Hold me, parental unit."

Well last weekend she finally took off in the kitchen with about 20 steps. So while walking is still not her preferred mode of transportation -- why walk when you can be carried or crawl at the speed of sound -- at least we know she can do it.

Amy got a video of Tess walking for Miss Dorothy. We keep trying to entice...

Cheers!

Love Line with Owen

Walking around in the backyard this weekend spreading some pine straw, Owen noticed all the tulips that have fallen from the tulip poplar trees. Thinking I would help the lad by planting the seed of charm that might come in handy down the road I thought he should practice on the #1 female in his life, Mom.

Owen: Dad, look! Look at all these flowers on the ground.
Dad: Yep, those are tulips from the tulip poplar trees. Look up -- do you see all the flowers on the big tree over your head?
Owen: Yeah.
Dad: Those are pretty flowers, aren't they Owen?
Owen: Yeah, they are beautiful!
Dad: Owen, you should go give that flower to Mom and tell her that as pretty as this flower is it's not as pretty as she is.
Owen: Alright.

(Owen walks up to his mother, also working out in the yard.)

Owen: Mom, this flower is prettier than you are.

Dr. Ruth has nothing on my son.

Homecoming

Amy & the kiddos returned from their excursion back to Kentucky to spend time with Amy's family. And although Tess picked an unfortunate time to go through a "stick every second to Mom" phase, the boys and Amy had a great time visiting cousins, aunts, uncles & grandparents. Owen & Gus each took pictures of their trip to show-and-tell, and Gus has asked several times if it's time to go back to Nana and Granddaddy's.

Bachelor week was pretty good for Dad I must admit. But by the weekend I was ready to see the wife & kids. I did manage to do many of those little things around the house that you can never seem to do with kids around -- paint that spot on the wall where the boys crashed into it with the push toy, work out in the yard, go to the bathroom without a child accompanying me, etc. So that part was really nice. But I missed the commotion and the chaos for sure.

It took me a couple of days to get "back into shape" so to speak with the kids. For 8 days I had done pretty much what I wanted. So when it came time to give baths, read stories & put kids to bed I had to get back into the groove. After a couple of times it's like riding a comfortable bike.

Thanks to the family in Paducah for taking the crew in and showing them a fun time. Cheers!

The Bachelor Diaries - Vol I

This week is Bachelor Week at la casa de Rutledge as Amy ventured back to Kentucky -- with three kids in tow -- to spend some time with the Smith, Blackburn and Sturm crews. Yesterday Amy managed 3 children, a stroller, luggage and carry-on's through airports and made it to Paducah just fine. My hat is off to her for braving that trip! All early reports indicate the boys have latched on to their cousins Gavin & Mason and Tess has clung to cousin Brooke -- what a match that crew should be for the week.

Meanwhile here in NC, I am holding down the fort with the dog & cats, deciding if I really do in fact relish the peace and quiet or if the lack of noise from little ones running around is too eerie. I think it's safe to say that the empty nest is refreshing for now but will be lonesome by the time the family returns.

So I'm left to decide what to do with all this time not spent shuttling, bathing, refereeing, reading to, disciplining, cooking for, playing with, and cleaning up after children. My buddy Chris asked for my to-do list so he could give me grief when I didn't do half of it. This is very likely to be the case. Odds of those touch-up paint or deck sealing jobs actually getting done are about 1 in 100. But a guy can dream -- it's only been 24 hours!

For now I have made the most inexpensive grocery run this family has seen in months, slept until the alarm clock went off, and taken the dog on more walks than he normally gets in a week. Tucker may change the locks on the doors so he stays #1 on the totem pole.

Cheers!

Baby Jenneson

Congratulations to our friends Dave & Allison Jenkins who gave birth to their first child last week with daughter Jenneson arriving at 7 lbs. 12 oz. on Monday, April 13. This is the last of the April births of our friends -- at least the last that we know of anyway! April has turned out to be quite a baby month. New life in spring.

Congrats Dave & Allison -- welcome to the wonderful world of parenthood!

Cheers!

Sliced Bread Video

Recently I have taken all our photos off a dinosaur PC and backed them up on an external hard drive. I realized I desperately needed to organize them better. Working on the photos for the boys' birthday celebration at school, I stumbled onto Picasa 3, the free product from Google. I feel like I've just discovered that bread comes pre-sliced.

Having not used PhotoShop or much more than the basic editing software in the past, I am all about this application. I'm sure there are even more advanced ones out there. But you have to learn to crawl before learning to walk.

So anyway I was messing around with some clips and a video & put a little something together highlighting the first four years of Owen & Gus.

Enjoy!

Cheers!

Birthday Boys

Owen & Gus turned 4 yesterday and we celebrated by taking an afternoon off to go over to their first baseball game, or as Owen called it "a really long basketball game."

The day started with a small celebration at the boys' preschool. Amy & I had sorted through 4 years of digital pictures on the computer to find 10 for each of them. I took my laptop to school, and Gus and Owen each presented pictures from their first 4 years -- from photos of them being connected to a dozen wires in an incubator after birth (which fascinated the other kids) to pictures of trips to the zoo, beach & aquarium. The boys took a lap around the sun candle for each of their four years while the students recited their little birthday poem. It was quite a little event that they do for each birthday.




Owen talks about pictures of him with his dog Tucker, brother and sister, and those chomping alligators at the zoo.


Next it was on to the DBAP, home of the Durham Bulls and Bull Durham. ("Anything hit that far should have a stewardess on it....")


The boys were so excited to see Wool E. Bull that they got stagefright the moment they actually got to meet him. Gus managed a high five but then ran for the sanctity of Mom & Dad while Owen would have no part. They both enjoyed Wool E's caper around the ballpark on a go-cart between innings.


The highlight of the day and the ball game by far was the junk food. Cotton candy, Cracker Jack, popcorn, hot dogs, you name it -- the boys ate it.


"I'm eating this stuff like there's no tomorrow. You only turn four once!"


Finally two tired brothers returned home to hang out with Mom, Dad, GJ, and Tess. Happy birthday dudes. Many happy returns.

Cheers!

Easter

Easter provided our crew a good chance for some rest & relaxation with family & friends. After a rainy Good Friday the weather cleared up for Easter egg hunts, time out in the yard, dinner with friends and feasting on a small mountain of chocolate.

On Saturday Owen found the "golden egg" at the Easter egg hunt at our church, for which he was rewarded with a giant chocolate treat. Then that night our good friends the Learys brought their kids over for some great conversation, food, and play time.

Today our crew ventured to church for the Easter cantata and an uplifting, simple message from our pastor Joanne about the true meaning of Easter. The afternoon featured a long nap from Tess as the couch beckoned me to sink into it and watch the final round of the Masters with the windows open. Unfortunately I couldn't pull Kentuckian Kenny Perry through, but it was a memorable, relaxing day nonetheless.

Happy Easter everyone.


Owen, Rachel and Gus hunt for Easter eggs in the backyard.


Andrew and Tess try to elbow their way in to get some sandbox time in with the older siblings.


Owen & Gus vie for Rachel's laughs as they push her from front and back. Rachel's quote: "I never knew swinging could be so much fun!"


Tess sported her lovely new Easter dress that her Nana made for her. Several folks at our church service doted on her, and Tess ate it up. All the attention must have worn the little girl out because she took a 3-hour nap when we got home -- her longest nap ever.

Finally, I tried to catch this clip of the boys as they created a new game of basketball this afternoon. The audio didn't come through, but you will get the idea. Gus dragged the basketball goal all the way down from the garage to the playset -- refusing anyone's help of course in true Gus fashion. Then he & Owen proceeded to invent their own game of hoops as they dropped the ball from the top of the playset to score. Whoever dropped the ball had to get off the playset and retrieve the ball. These two played this game for a long time. Having a twin brother as a playmate sure comes in handy sometimes.

Baby Katy

The baby tour continues as our dear friends Chad and Claudia Guthrie celebrate the arrival of Baby Katy tonight. The newest Guthrie weighed in at 7.3 lbs and a head full of hair. Chad was texting me all day with updates so Amy & I felt like we were right there with them at the hospital in Florida. Hopefully Chad's updates weren't keeping him from helping Claudia with her breathing.

We are so very happy for our former next-door neighbors. And we're happy that Chad actually stayed in the delivery room without fainting.

Welcome Katy!

Spring Break

After helping the Crumpton crew with the arrival of Baby Sam, GJ made the trek back up to NC to hang out with our crew until the boys' birthday. This past week was Spring Break for the boys' preschool so the extra pair of helping hands came in very handy.

Spring is here in central North Carolina as temperatures have climbed up into the 70's. It has been the perfect weather for trips to the park, Easter egg hunts, and firing up the grill. At night the adults are all pretty tired, but we did manage to break out a game of Sequence for old time's sake last night.

Owen and Gus have spent their week playing hard and watching some movies. Wall-E is the current movie de jour, with Jungle Book, Lady & the Tramp, and 101 Dalmatians following those. (Television will never raise my childr.....nevermind.)

Tessa Lou is still not walking. It's funny because she took about 4 steps a few weeks back for Amy & me. She repeated the steps several times that day, and Amy & I were certain she was about to be walking all over the place. But since then she hasn't taken a step. Why walk when you can crawl at the speed of sound or be carried by Mom, Dad, GJ, or Miss Dorothy?

So we wait patiently for her to begin her upward mobility. If it were the boys who waited this long to walk we probably would have been worried. In fact I know we would have. But given that we have been through this with the boys, Amy & I just figure Tess will walk when she's good & ready. I think she will be like Owen was when he started walking and take 20-30 steps at a time as soon as she puts her mind to it.

What Tess lacks in upright movement she makes up for in being a ham and chatting. She has really picked up sign language (all done, more, milk, "I've been in this high chair for an hour and you better get me out in the next 5 seconds or this plate's flying"). She takes after Gus in the ham department as she loves to show off by putting something on her head or around her neck and then waiting for your reaction.

So while life for us can be tiring trying to keep up with it all, it is very, very rewarding.

Have a great Easter everyone.

Cheers.


Nothing like a spring picnic in the.....garage? Whatever works.



Little Easy Rider herself decides to bypass walking for the fun stuff.

Baby Charlotte

Continuing with the April baby theme, my cousin Brooke and her husband Geoff welcomed their second today with the arrival of Charlotte Elizabeth this morning. Charlotte joins sister Gabi, who word has it was displeased with her new sister's name because "Charlotte is a spider's name."

And so it begins....

Congratulations to the Barrett crew!

(Charlotte will forever share a birthday with my mom -- Happy birthday GJ!)