Happy Birthday Eleanor!

We celebrated Eleanor's 3rd birthday (a bit belatedly) with cake and ice cream ... and a POOL PARTY!


Poor Anna was definitely not happy that she had to eat Cheerios when the rest of us got cake!

And Eleanor liked her new LadyBug pocketbook that Elizabeth made her.

We also stopped by Granma Elizabeth and Granddaddy Bill's before the festivities began - Beatrice just had to see Mimi Kitty.


And one of my favorite new Beatrice 'things' - here she is talking to Mimi Kitty on her foot phone!

Rub a dub - Eleanor, Beatrice and Anna - these three are having quite a good time together!

Though why they need to have a picnic on the kitchen floor at 5AM is beyond me.

Jekyll Island

We took a trip over to Jekyll Island today; we visited the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and toured (a bit) the Millionaire's Village. And I tried to take as many pictures of the girls in the trees as I physically could. I love these trees. And these girls.

We toured the island when we first got there as 2 of 3 were still napping (these not quite overlapping napping schedules are crazy!). We stopped at the Jekyll pier, which is much more remote than the SSI pier. No cruising going on there!


We had a good time, and I took way too many photos (what else is new?)

The girls wore matching dresses that Dianne & Tom bought for them in Hawaii. So cute! Everyone thought they were sisters. Heaven help me! But Megan and I did have a laugh/cringe when we saw a mother dressed the same as her two daughters. Exactly the same. There are many reasons I live in California and not in The South; this is one of them. The other main one is that Zack would melt.

All I will say about these series of shots is that child photography is a saint's occupation. The picture below is reason why we have to have another child - Beatrice is pure green with envy.

The girls were very entertained by the turtles. And I loved the air conditioning break. Did I mention it was hot? Eleanor made quite a picture with all the pocketbooks in the gift shop!



We ended our trip by torturing Beatrice with some (more) photos...but I think it was worth it.



Every summer when I was growing up we would come down to Jekyll with Mama & Dada for a few weeks. As a child I remember Mama & Mom taking me to the Dollhouse Museum when it was still in one of the Millionnaire's houses; and as a teenager I remember Dada buying me a WHOLE KEY LIME PIE from the cafe there. Jekyll is a wonderful, slow, beautiful place. I hope it stays that way for a long time.

Dragonflies & Ice Cream

& grandparents & heavy equipment in the streets & COUSINS & double stroller rides & Sarah B & so many wonderful things - Beatrice is in heaven!

Beatrice can't actually say Eleanor or Anna, though she is really trying very hard. "Eh" and "Ah" - that's about as good as it's getting. Every now and then she might say "Nor Nor" for Eleanor. The rest of us don't need names; as long as E & A are there!

There were a few dragonflies around the pool today and Graham got them to land on his finger over and over. Very cool. Beatrice thinks he is magic. And I got one to land on my finger too, but I'm no "Gahm"

We had fun again relaxing around the pool. If you can call doing anything with 3 kids under 3 relaxing...
In the late afternoon we ventured down to the Village for ice cream ("ass cream") and a tour of the pier. It was like walking down memory lane for me...especially with all the people fishing and crabbing.




Beatrice and Eleanor also enjoyed watching the sewer construction going on a few blocks down. I'm sure in a few years I'll laugh about the toilet flooding our first 15 minutes in the house due to sand and grit getting in through a busted pipe from all the construction...but not yet.

Beach & Birthday

We all ventured out to the beach today. Don't let the pictures fool you - it was HOT, HOT, HOT. We managed, but I'm quite glad we have the pool...it is just so much easier. Especially as the three girls are all on slightly different nap schedules.

Oh, and they all seem to have conspired to wake up EARLY everyday. 5am is just mean, I think. We're they are all teenagers I am so going to get them up early on vacations...payback.

We enjoyed BBQ by the pool during the day...


...and had Sarah B stay with the kids so the adults could all get out to celebrate Granma Elizabeth's birthday that night at The Georgia SeaGrill. Nancy & Lee kept telling Mom that she was getting 'installation art' (Lee's hood that was ripped off by a combine), but no...just a crockpot.