10,000 and counting!

I have officially snapped 10,000 shots with my camera! I bought this camera just before Riley and Ryan were born, so it's crazy to think that in 2 years I've taken that many photos. Did I mention I love pictures? I'm not sure whether I'm bragging about this or astonished by this, but whatever the case, the photo above was #10,000 and I think it's quite a cute one if I might say so myself! Ryan found this cookie monster stuffed animal and he kept calling it Elmo. Yes - he is kissing "Elmo". Happy 10,000 and here's to 10,000's more!

Chastain Chill

On Tuesday nights in the summer, they have the Chastain Chill from 4-7pm at Chastain Park near the playground. We decided to venture out and see what it was all about. We met the Cole family and had a Chick-fil-A picnic. After eating, Riley and Ryan danced to the music, played with hula hoops, played on the playground, and just ran around. They had a ball and it was fun to watch them. Unfortunately, Daddy had to work, but luckily both Joy and Clayton were there, so they were able to help me with the kids on the playground. I definitely could not have done it without them. We were all drenched with sweat by the time we made it to the car (at 715 - bedtime is usually 645 or 700). When we arrived home, we quickly went through the bath and pj's and then I heard the most wonderful words (Kevin's conference call was still on speaker phone) "We are done for the night!!". Just in time to put them down, Kevin finished his call - I think it started at 8am on Monday and it was 8pm on Tuesday. Ok - a little exaggeration, but not much! We hope to make it back to Chastain Chill when Daddy can join the fun!

Riley was just a little timid at first, so she quickly grabbed Joy's hand to help her decide if this was all ok or not.

Hula Hoops!!! They only almost strangled one another once!

Picnic from CfA... They each ate a complete kids meal (first time that's happened) and then finished off Avery's fruit after playing on the playground!

Once I gave them the green light - they were off to the playground and never looked back!

Web Album: http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090609ChastainChill#

Goodbye to Daddy...

This morning we hugged Daddy goodbye...
(he left for Rochester to visit Grandma)


...and look at what he missed at dinner!

I served Riley & Ryan frozen blueberries at dinner tonight and as soon as they began to melt it was a TOTAL MESS!!! They loved them, though and wanted more, of course. At least I had enough foresight to strip them down before serving.

If you want to see all the mess, you can take a look here: http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090611Blueberries# We miss you Daddy!

Overnight at Gramma's, Botanical Gardens & SummerFest

I realized that I never posted the udpate on Riley from her appointment with the Neurologist, so here is the email I sent out after her appointment last week:

We just returned from the visit at the Neurologist for Riley. He was very matter of fact (like most Neurologists), but he was excellent with Riley. She was such a big girl and didn’t fuss one time! They measured her head and checked her reflexes. He also looked at her eyes and checked her ability to follow sound and light. All checked out fine. He did order an EEG (scheduled for June 13 @ 9am) as well as an MRI (to be scheduled). The MRI will be done as an outpatient procedure at Scottish Rite and she will be completely sedated for that one. We have a follow up appointment with him for July 2 to go over all of the results. Based on our family history, the fact that she is otherwise completely healthy and that she had a clear CT scan, there is about a 2% chance that they will find any “reason” as to why this seizure occurred. We are praying to be part of that 98% and close this chapter! Thanks for your prayers and please continue to keep us on your list until we get through this next month.

Glad that is behind us and looking forward to posting on July 2nd with a completely clean bill of health!!!

Uncle Scott and Aunt Tracy were supposed to come visit us this past weekend, but since Grandma Hutch had to go back to the hospital and have another procedure on her heart, we all agreed it was better for them to go to Rochester rather than Atlanta. Grandma Hutch is doing better. Her lung was punctured when they were putting in a central line, so she is dealing with the lung issues now more than her heart. She hopes to be home by Wednesday. Kevin is flying up on Thursday to be with her through the weekend.

We had arranged for Riley and Ryan to spend the night at Gramma's house on Friday night so we could go out with Scott and Tracy and possibly sleep in a bit on Saturday, so she agreed to have them still come. It was a great break for us and I know they all had a ball there. Grandaddy was also there to help take care of them. They played in the new pool and had a blast splashing around in the water. They weren't totally sure about it at first, but it didn't take long to decide it was something fun! They were excellent eaters and slept well too! We picked them up after their nap on Saturday. I'm not sure who had more fun - the kiddos or the adults!

Playing in their new pool complete with a slide!

They decided they wanted to swim again after dinner and baths...in their pj's. So this is them waiting for their PJ's to dry.

After we picked them up, we met the Cole family at the Botanical Gardens for an afternoon of fun. They really enjoyed walking through all the trails and looking at the different ponds. One of them even had water falls and another one had live frogs! They saw bees making honey (behind glass, but it still freaked me out), and went down several slides. Next time we go we will definitely bring a towel and play in the water fountain! I didn't have my camera, but Joy did take some photos - I will post them once I get them from her.

It's amazing to me that such a sweet little angel can be so BAD!!! She threw some interesting tantrums this weekend that we hope are not repeated!

I snapped this sweet photo just before we left (late) for church. I'm glad I took the time to take the picture...and we even made it there in time for them to get into the nursery! These were the very cute outfits sent to them by their Great Aunt Bobbie...

On Sunday we went to church and brunch again at J Christophers. Unfortunately, brunch didn't go nearly as well as last week. Riley was screaming at the top of her lungs and not really interested in eating. She was taken out once by each of us. Not the best showing for the Hutchinson clan. Did you see that I mentioned Riley's tantrums with the picture above?

That afternoon we met the Talberts (they have 4.5 month old b/g twins and live 2 houses down from us) at the SummerFest in Virginia Highlands. They had a large sand area for the kids complete with fun music and best of all for Ryan - bubbles! They had a lot of fun playing around there. They were very hungry, so they ate several snacks. Ryan kept going to the bag in the stroller asking for more. I even caught him on film trying to sneak a snack (see picture below)! We then decided to walk through the festival area and with 2 double strollers it wasn't the best idea we've ever had. It was really hot and Riley and Ryan were not too thrilled about being strapped in. We soon left and headed home for a nice cookout. Another great weekend in the lives of Riley and Ryan!

This was the crew complete with 2 sets of twins relaxing in the kids area...before we left to go fight the crowds and the heat!

They loved playing in the sand together:

Riley especially loved the sand. She really likes to dig. Her teachers at school commented on how much she likes to "move dirt". I guess it makes it more girly if she's wearing a pretty dress and hat?!?!?

BUSTED!!! Here's a photo of Ryan caught red-handed sneaking the snack bag...and yes - he put his hat on his head that way all by himself!

I know this was the highlight of Riley's day - getting to ride on Daddy's shoulders (and get out of that crazy stroller!)

Kevin is very busy with work this week (working until 10pm most nights) and will be in Rochester from Thursday through Sunday, so I will have a lot of extra time with them. It should be a lot of fun but very exhausting week. Can't wait to share the exciting tales I'm sure to have!

Web Albums Added:

http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090605GrammaS

http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090607Summerfest#

Summer is here!

Summer time is finally here and what a fantastic weekend it was! On Thursday night I went to the Kenny Chesney concert with 7 other people and had the time of my life. It was such a great concert (I've seen him 7 times and this was by far the best one yet)! This has become a yearly tradition with some of my greatest friends and it jump started my summer for sure! It was a great time to relax and have a little fun after the week (or so) we've had! Friday was tough - going to work after only 4 1/2 hours of sleep - but I made it through the day and was fast asleep by 830 on Friday night!

On Saturday we got up early and went to the pool to practice the moves we learned at swimming lessons. They loved playing in the baby pool - which was great with us! We didn't have to hold them the whole time and they enjoyed the freedom. Ryan and I were the first to arrive and literally we had the entire pool area to ourselves. I bet we won't experience that very often this summer. The Cole family joined us for swim time and a picnic lunch pool side. We were there for almost 3 hours and boy did they have a great nap after we got home!

One of the things Riley and Ryan are learning in their new class is how to drink out of a real cup (not a sippy cup) so they LOVE it when we let them practice at home. I'm not so keen on the idea, but it makes them so happy I've indulged a few times. While Kevin and Ryan ran a few errands, Riley practiced with her cup that has the built in straw. She had a few spills (which she was quick to point out to me to clean up), but overall she did fantastic! See for yourself:

On Saturday night Ms. Ashley from their old class came to stay with them so Kevin and I could go out on a real date! They were so excited to see her and they played with her until 8:15! I think that's the latest they've been to bed...maybe ever! I told her they could stay up as long as she was ok with it so they must have been on their best behavior. I know it was a treat for them to have here here. We had a fantastic dinner and were quickly reminded how much we need a date night! It was nice to feel like a couple rather than just parents!

We made it up for early church on Sunday and then went out to brunch with Gramma. It was a great meal and it was early enough that Riley and Ryan were very good at the restaurant - not too tired or too hungry by the time we got there. When we got home the 3 of us crashed for a much needed nap. When we got up it was only 2:00, so we still had time to make a trip to the park at Underwood Hills. There were a lot of people there, but luckily the little kids play area hardly had anyone on it. They loved the slide as well as the "thingy" below. I'm not sure what you call it, but they loved going back and forth.

Riley's hair is finally coming in. It cracked me up when she went down the slide. By the time she got to the end the static electricity had it sticking up in every direction. Kinda reminds me of my hair as a child!


And last but not least, on Sunday night I was able to spend some time with one of my dearest friends from college, Jeannie. Jeannie's sister is a very talented author and she was in town from NY for the book release party. Jeannie is pregnant with her 3rd boy and could not have looked more beautiful! We had some time to catch up at dinner, but every time I get to briefly see her it's bittersweet because I realize just how much I miss getting to see her more often. I so wished she lived closer and we were able to experience this time in our lives together. Miss you!

This is Patti's 6th book and I can't wait to read it! One of the main characters names is Riley - so it has to be good, right? If you get a chance you should pick up a copy of her newest book - released today! I haven't read it yet, but I can almost guarantee you will not be disappointed. Here's more info: http://www.patticallahanhenry.com/books/driftwood_summer.asp

One last update - definitely last but not least...

Grandma Hutch had an angiogram last Wednesday due to some abnormalities in some tests they ran on her heart. They didn't find any blockage, but because things didn't seem stable with her heart rhythms, etc. they decided to implant a defibrillator in her heart on Thursday. The procedure went well and she was home resting in Rochester on Friday. Uncle Scott was able to be there with her from Wednesday until Saturday. We just found out tonight that she has had some discomfort and is back in the hospital. She will have surgery tomorrow morning at 730 to remove some fluid surrounding her heart. We will be praying for a successful day tomorrow and a pain free recovery!

Just 3 more days until Uncle Scott and Aunt Tracy come to visit us in Atlanta!

Web Albums Added:

http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090529MacaroniCheese#

http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090530PoolWithAvery#

http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090530BigGirlCup#

http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090531SundayAtThePark#