Chah-lston

Last week Amy & I concluded the summer with a vacation down to Charleston. We rented a house on James Island just a hop, skip & a jump across the marsh from Aunt Mel, Uncle Dude, Corinne and Sam and a mile from Folly Beach.

Amy & I crammed as much work as we could get done in the weeks leading up to vacation, led a Worship & Wonder training the morning that we left, and a finished up a multiple's club consignment sale that afternoon. We both slept hard the first two days that we were down in South Carolina.

The vacation was a really good one in that we were so ready to leave town and escape the day-to-day life at home by the time we departed and then we were ready to be back in the comforts of home by the time we returned at the end of the week. That's what a vacation should be, I suppose.




On Tuesday our friends Debbie Barrett and Chad Nance brought their litter up from Bluffton, SC -- Aidan, Abby, and Anmei -- and shared our place for a couple of days. I am not sure if the kids wore us parents out or if all the fun we parents threw at the kids wore them out. But either way, it was a really good time seeing the Nance crew.

Off the boat dock from the back of the rental house, the marsh rose and fell with the tides. It made for some good bird watching and fiddler crab hunting.


The parents loaded up the kids for a trip to the South Carolina Aquarium, which sits on a gorgeous spot in downtown Charleston on the harbor. The kids got to pet an alligator and saw plenty of penguins, sharks, fish and jellies to provide a good thrill.

Gus, Aidan & Anmei posed for their Nemo shark bait moment.


One of the fun parts of trips are the impromptu moments that you can't plan for -- like when six kids are tired and hungry after a morning of sightseeing in the aquarium. So the parents pulled out the beach chairs and fed the kids sandwiches & goldfish right there in the parking garage. All we were missing was a cooler and a football game....


The Rutledge crew got to reunite with the Crumptons and meet cousin Sam for the first time. He is a laid back little fellow who takes in the two year-old tornado that is his big sister Corinne with a big gummy grin on his face.

Corinne experienced the Owen shun first hand as she was enamored with her older cousin, but he did his best "girls are icky" impression all week. (Talk to Tess, little peanut -- the two of you can share stories.)

Corinne and Gus on the other hand are cut from the same cloth -- both rowdy & rambunctious and (too?) lovable with their younger siblings.

What fun we had and will have as this group gets older.


The rest of the week was dedicated to entertaining kids. We beached it several times. At first the boys were very cautious of the water, which is what you want as a parent when it comes to the ocean -- a combined sense of awe and excitement with a healthy respect for the tides when you only weigh 35 lbs.

By the end of the week though, both boys had their badges of courage with the water and were body surfing and sticking their heads underwater. And of course, the receding tides offer wet sand which is just perfect for building sand castles....


and making mud balls to throw at each other.


Little Tess enjoyed herself as well -- chasing sea gulls, playing in the sand, walking Tucker on the beach, and adapting very well to the relaxed beach schedule which sometimes led to lunches at 2:30 in the afternoon.

We did break out of the beach routine a few times. This was our first visit back to Folly in two years since Gus had his fall that put him in the hospital. So we drove by the house where we had stayed to see that the open stairs had been closed off with a deck on the back of the house. Little Owen and his crazy accurate memory remembered a lot of it two years later and was full of questions. It gave a good sense of closure, especially for Amy.

Then we drove over to the park a block away where the kids ran off the rest of their morning energy. Owen does his best eerie devilish impression coming out of the slide.


Finally, we hit Splash Zone -- which has to be one of the coolest water parks there is -- on the morning before we drove back home. The boys were just tall enough to ride down the monster water slides with Dad, Mom & Uncle Dude.

All in all it was a good way to end the summer before preschool started back for the boys this week. We finished the summer with a splash & a bang.

Cheers!

Superhero Summer

Owen & Gus have had quite the summer for four year-old little boys. After having GJ & Pappy visit their house for 10 days, the boys rode back to Kentucky to begin their Bluegrass Adventure without Mom, Dad & little sister. What fun!

After spending a few days in Glasgow with GJ & Pappy the boys journeyed across the state to spend time with Nana, Granddaddy and the Paducah crew. While there, there were reports of a superhero sighting nearby -- more on that in a moment.

When their time in Kentucky came to a close the boys piled into the van with their Aunt Ashley, Uncle Scott, and cousins Mason, Gavin & Brooke for the long return trip back to North Carolina. The kids were all reportedly on their best behavior -- funny how being together can bring the best out of each other.

Amy and I were very happy to see the boys for the first time in 8 days. It was obvious that we missed Owen & Gus more than they missed us. Oh well, that's the sign of a great visit right there.

We were then treated to a few days hanging out with the Posey crew in North Carolina. After an unsuccessful badminton attempt (cheap plastic poles from China!), we rebounded with bocce, a trip to the swimming pool, a campout in the backyard while it thunderstormed, and a great trip to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and the North Carolina History Museum.

It was a tremendous time getting to see the Posey crew. It took the boys a couple of days to recoup from their trip and the fun of the visit. Tess had to adjust to not having her cousins around to dote on her as well. We look forward to many return visits!

Cheers!

Recipe:

The first step in a successful museum visit is hydration.



Pack up the van so there are enough seat belts and car seats to go around.


Throw in some sea horses and plenty of fish.....



....and the occasional 50-foot long plant-eating dinosaur.....




.....a stuffed pelican going after its prey.....


......some sea turtles......



....a few minutes to rest & catch our breaths.....



.....some peanut butter & jelly on the concourse.....



......a little fun goof-off time by the pirate ship at the history museum.....



.....and out comes two extremely happy superheroes.
(Nana took this picture across the river in Metropolis, Illinois. An instant classic for us!)

Bluegrass Adventure

The Rutledge family just completed a pilgrimage to Kentucky to introduce Tess to family and friends and see some familiar faces. Amy & I woke up early at 4:00am on a Saturday morning and finished the last of the packing before trying to sneak the kids into the van before it was light in hopes that they would stay asleep for a few more hours. An hour later we pulled out of the driveway with three kids who were wide awake. So much for stealth mode.

The trip to Kentucky was an all-day event. Gone are the days when Amy & I used to be able to make a stop or two for Tucker and be back on the road in 5 minutes. With an infant and 2 three year-olds there were many more stops and longer ones at that. But we made the most of it. Our highlight was a stop in eastern Tennessee off the interstate where we found a gravel parking lot for semis that was the site of our peanut butter & jelly picnic. Tucker happily sniffed around in open space while Amy fed Tess and the boys made lunch. Who said truck stops weren't for minivans?



PADUCAH
Once we arrived in Paducah there were many anxious folks ready to get some Tess time. Nana and Granddaddy opened up their house to aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins, and the fun began. Tess was more than happy to oblige as she (mostly) quietly ate up all the attention.

On Monday Owen and Gus ventured over to their cousins' house while Aunt Ashley was kind enough to watch all the kids. Mason, Gavin & Brooke entertained the boys, and all five kids ended up taking a nap in the floor as they had expended so much energy with each other. Amy & I appreciated the time out as we went out shopping for a couple of hours. I needed shoes as my tennis shoes and sandals were inadvertently thrown away instead of packed in the van. Doh! Also I got to visit my favorite store in Paducah -- Roof Brothers, home to one of the best India Pale Ale selections I have ever seen in any sized town. Whatever magic Aunt Ashley has that will get five kiddos to sleep at the same time should be bottled and sold!




The Tess collage (clockwise from top left): Aunt Pam & cousin Lauren; grandmother Mary Margaret; Aunt Kay; Uncle Ken & Aunt Rhonda; Aunt Rhonda (solo); Aunt Susan (with the magic hold); Granddaddy (with the enticing newspaper); Cousin Mason; Aunt Susan and Uncle Shan; Cousin Allee; Aunt Melba; Granny



Cousin Mason brought over his acoustic guitar that we restrung and tuned. Then we dove in to the land of chords. Mason mastered E, G, C, and even a D-minor. Before you know it he'll be touring the country singing to audiences and melting hearts.



While Tess was eating up all the attention of being the new kid on the block, the cousins proved to be fantastic entertainment for Owen & Gus. The boys were mesmerized with all the activity -- playing monster, chasing each other through the house and the yard, and watching Gavin climb trees. Baylee dips Gus while Brooke, Owen & Mason pause under a good climbing tree.


Granddaddy provided some fun as he took the boys and the Posey kids to the golf course for golf cart rides. When they returned it was time to fire up the lawn tractor for rides up and down the street.


Amy & I got to see some of the Sturm family while we were in Paducah as well. We spent a morning over at Craig and Melisa's house where the trampoline and pizza were huge hits.

[Craig (standing), Aunt Ashley (with Gus), Whitney (holding Tess), Amy (with Owen), Papa Jack, Brooke, Mason & Gavin]

Finally, when you have a question about technology chances are it's best to ask someone younger than you. Billy found this out first-hand as Allee introduced him to the world of customized ringtones, radio stations on his cellphone, all through the wonders of a headset. Nothing like those young whippersnappers to keep us all in line.

Our trips back to Kentucky are always loaded with activity. That will always be the case since there are so many people we want to see and we live in North Carolina. We were happy to be able to see as many people and share as much time with folks as we did. The hospitality is certainly appreciated.


GLASGOW
On Wednesday we ventured across the Western Kentucky, Natcher, and Cumberland Parkways to my hometown to see some family & friends in southcentral Kentucky. GJ and Pappy were happy to accommodate our clan in their environment for a change. On Thursday we had a nice visit with my grandmother who lives in a nursing home. Mother was entertained by the boys' activity and very pleased to meet Tess for the first time.

After the visit we took the kids out to the swimming pool, where I had burned many an hour growing up in Glasgow. At the pool Owen found his swimming fins for the first time. He had been swimming several times in our neighborhood pool at home, but on this day he truly decided to break out of his shell. He jumped off the side of the pool, went underwater, and realized that he was going to be ok when I pulled him back up. It was like a light went off. The kid proceeded to wear his dad out over the next two hours, jumping off the side of the pool dozens upon dozens of times articulating the joy through shrieks and shouts. GJ joined in the fun by submitting to the boys' cries for her to go down the slide, which she happily did. I wish I had my camera handy. That's what I call grandparent dedication.

There was another new addition to our family as we got to meet Maren, whom my cousin Jane Layton adopted from Guatemala in January. Maren is an absolute doll who is coming out of her own shell -- venturing over to play with the boys or hand someone a toy before coming back to Mom for reassurance. We were very glad to make young Maren's acquaintance.



Another bonus this visit was to connect with my pal David Downing. David and I have known each other since we were five years old in kindergarten playing Nerf Hoop and Atari. The first thing David noticed was that the tree in the front yard had been taken down -- the very tree he suspended himself from in disbelief after Christian Laettner hit "the shot" in 1992. Sharing a happy hour with David and introducing our crew to him was a great time.


A trip to Glasgow wouldn't be a visit without a stop by Spencer Benedict Stables. The boys roamed around the barn and the fields checking out all the horses and farm equipment. It's a gorgeous place with those great, gentle creatures where kids can run to their heart's content.
Decisions, decisions.....


And of course the boys had to leave their own mark as they fertilized the fence. Gus and Owen are definitely at the point where they marvel at peeing outdoors. (Amy asked that the bum be censored.)

We wrapped up our trip on Friday night with a trip to a Mexican restaurant in Glasgow where for the first time, I enjoyed a beer in my hometown -- legally anyway. The food was great, the cellphone pranks to GJ were entertaining (for me at least), and it was a great way to wrap up a week's visit with our family & friends in Kentucky that we love.

Cheers everyone!

Little Pink Houses on the OBX

I took the week off of work last week and as it turned out a week off from blogging as well. Amy & I ventured over to the Outer Banks to visit with our friends Chris LeDuc and his fiance Pam Burke at the beach in Kill Devil Hills. Our friends Scott & Christen Krynock also made it over from Apex. This was our first chance to visit with Chris in over a year since he moved from NC to Boston and our first chance to meet Pam, who was charmed enough by Chris's wit that she agreed to marry him next spring.

Our friends were troopers in that being the couples there without children, the gang got to experience the ups and downs of spending 4 days with 2 two-year olds. Although Amy & I were a bit jealous at not being able to sleep past 6 a.m. due to boys waking us up raring to go, for the most part Gus & Owen were really good. They took to everyone really quickly, even bonding so much with Scott that he became "Uncle Scott" for a few days (the boys have an Uncle Scott back in KY).

At the beach Owen is developing into quite the little water bug. He took to the beach like a duck to water, tugging us out of our chairs down to the ocean where the waves crashed at his feet. When he wasn't giggling as the water rushed over his feet, Owen had a grand time dumping sand and shells from his toy dumptruck. Gus was more of a sand fan than a water fan. I think the loud waves scared him a bit. He would run down the sand toward the water like his brother, only to turn back and run when the water got within 10 feet of him. Once he grabbed a handful of sand, ran up to the edge of the water and threw the sand at the water as if to say, "I do not like you water! Take that!" It was pretty amusing.

As for us adults, we had a great time catching up with each other. We all took turns cooking dinners. Chris and Pam brought some Napa valley vino from their trip last year to the wine country. And on Monday night after some rousing games of Sequence, Chris busted out the acoustic for some raucous singalongs (long live Mr. Mellencamp).

The highlight of the trip for me was Monday when the guys ventured out for an eagerly anticipated fishing trip. Keep in mind that neither Scott, Chris nor myself are accomplished fisherman of any sort. This was evidenced by the fact that each of us had to buy a rod & reel, fishing license, hooks, and lures prior to the trip. Another dead giveaway was the fact that it took us 30 minutes from the time we arrived at the pier to even get our lines in the water. By the end of the morning though, everyone around us was so intimidated by our expert fishing abilities that they all moved three stations away from us, giving us ample room to show off our skills. We didn't even get a nibble all day long, but it was a fantastic time anyway. We topped off Man Day 2007 with a trip to the Outer Banks Brewery where we sampled some of their finer microbrews over lunch and discussed the finer things in our lives.

So the trip was a great one and we hope to continue the event as an annual trip. Next year we're locking the boys in their rooms until 7:00am and I'm practicing up on my guitar skills in advance for the inevitable singalong.

Cheers!

Chris and Pam check out the Outer Banks lighthouses.

Bill Dance has nothing on Scott Krynock.

The site of the greatest fishing display on the East coast that people will be telling their grandkids about, the Avalon Fishing Pier (complete with web cam - check it out).

Jockey's Ridge State Park, home of the largest sand dune on the east coast. (View this pic full screen for the best perspective of how big the dunes are.)

"Pull Gus, pull!"

Scott & Christen soak up the sun.

A Tale of Two Vacations

As some of you may know Amy & I had quite an experience over the Memorial Day weekend during our visit to Charleston. We went down to visit Aunt Mel, Uncle Dude, Baby Corinne, GJ and Pappy for a long weekend getaway at the beach.

We had good days on Wednesday and Thursday as we got to play in the sand and the water at the beach, at a local park, and at Melanie and Roman's house with young Corinne and all the dogs. Then on Friday after we arrived back at the beach house from breakfast Gus fell off some steps about 5 feet onto concrete and hit his head. The paramedics took him to the emergency room where a cat scan revealed a small patch of blood on the left side of his brain from the fall. Gus had symptoms of a concussion as well -- vomiting, irritability, etc. Amy and I stayed with him at the hospital in the pediatric ICU unit that day and the next for observation, and he was released Saturday evening. Unfortunately his vomiting persisted and he got dehydrated so we had to take him back to the emergency room on Sunday for a follow-up scan and IV fluids. The scan came back with good news as the blood had dissipated so we mainly dealt with the prolonged effects of the concussion.

Amy & I drove the boys back late Sunday night once Gus was released. Getting home was good for our mentality as we could get Gus back in his bed, in his routine, and in his own surroundings. Monday was a good day for him, and he continues his progress today. He is riding around on his trucks, playing with his new bubbles, and enjoying all the doting from his mom and dad.


So while the time we spent with family did not go as any of us planned, there were some good things on the trip despite the episode with Gus. Owen had the time of his life as he received twice the attention while his brother was being poked and prodded in the hospital. Owen played with his Pappy, played with trucks and tractors, went to the beach with GJ, Pappy and Aunt Mel where he played in the sand and the water, and learned high-five/knuckles/elbows from his Uncle Dude. As Owen normally doesn't let his mom out of his sight for very long, the time away with the rest of the family was good for him to bond. Amy & I were very happy to have the family there to take care of Owen while we tended to Gus.


Likewise Tucker was a happy camper as well. He got to spend the week as the lone male dog among females with his dog cousins Sayla, Chloe and Tera. He got to run on the beach and play in the sun. It was a good old dog dream time for Tucker.


And as much as no one likes to be in a hospital, they did show Cars on-demand in the hospital rooms so we watched Lightning McQueen and Mater four times in three days. We know that movie by heart now. ;-)


So the Charleston trip was not at all what any of us expected. We were counting on a trip with lots of time for family bonding and relaxation. But life doesn't always turn out like we expect. The trip will be one that none of us -- Mom, Dad, GJ, Pappy, Aunt Mel, Uncle Dude -- will ever forget. At the end of the day Gus is recovering fine, and we'll chalk this up as one of many bumps along the way. We just need some time.