Cutie Pie

Rest Stops

Maw Maw Sattelmeyer accompanied the kids and I during the 12+ hour drive from Charleston to Cleveland. We broke our trip into two days for our sanity and the well-being of the two youngsters in the backseat, stopping in Charleston, West Virginia. The drive up was LONG, as we stopped about every 2.5 to 3 hours and spent at least an hour at each rest stop so Avery could play and Kayla could stretch out. I used to brag about how well Avery travelled as a baby, but I think Kayla has him beat! If Kayla cried, it was no more than 5 minutes max before she would calm herself down or put herself back to sleep. My kids rock!!

Traveling RockStars

Before Avery turned a year old, he had taken about a dozen long car trips/plane rides to various places, including Cleveland, Columbus, Louisville, Lexington, Knoxville, Fayetteville, and Puerto Rico. He has always been a traveling champ. Our trips have calmed down lately, as Avery is a bit older and harder to entertain during long car rides (but thank goodness for car DVD players!). However, he pulled out all the stops and impressed us once more during our recent two week-long trip through Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee, while we introduced Kayla to family and friends. The trip was LONG and challenging with a small infant and a two year old, but the Jean Team made it through! Enjoy the coming pictures!

Happy 3 Months Old, Kayla!

Bouncy Seat Comparisons

Avery at 12 Weeks in bouncy seat:
Kayla at 12 Weeks in bouncy seat:

Turtle-ly Awesome

This past weekend, we visited the beach to see the release of seven rescued sea turtles, who had been discovered with various injuries on the different beaches throughout the area and then successfully rehabilitated. At first, I was very anxious for these turtles...I mean, how extensive could their community reintegration training have been?? Phil tried to reassure me that there was a sea turtle case manager swimming out there in the ocean, available to any post-rehabilitated turtle if needed. While I told Phil that logic was just preposterous, I secretly did feel a little bit better. Unless the case manager gets eaten by a shark. Ahhhh, crap.

Kayla's chillin' on the beach with Miss Rebecca prior to the sea turtle release.
Nothing but blue skies. Talkin' to my girl. Avery is high above the rest. Each sea turtle was introduced by a sign that stated their name and what kind of turtle they were. Hilton, a loggerhead, who was found on (you guessed it) Hilton Head Island. Go, Hilton, Go!Okay, it took several episodes of people carrying Hilton down the "runway" before he made it to the water's edge.

This turtle is a Greenback turtle, which is an endangered species. Avery cheering with the crowd.

This was Palmer, the last turtle to be released. He took an especially long time to be coaxed out to the water. He must not have been ready for discharge yet. :)

Kayla getting her feet wet for the first time. Avery is exhausted afer a busy two hours. Kayla is pretty worn out too.... ...and apparently very thirsty.Addendum: Please excuse the poor quality of the seaturtle pictures and video. No matter how awesome my zoom lens is, the fact remains that I am still 5 foot 2. :)

Weekly Pics

Here are a few of my favorite pics from this past week:

Playa Playa

This is my son, Avery. For a two year old, he is all man. His extreme amount of social confidence allows him to pull off this look with style: wearing a pink cowgirl hat while flashing an "urban" symbol (I'm trying to be politically correct) at the same time.
Over the past two years, Avery has pleasantly surprised me at how social he can be. Especially with the ladies. Some men pick girls up at the gym, the bar, the club, or at a bus stop while on spring break (Phil). Other men can pick girls up at their weekly Kindermusik class (Avery).

Avery is the only boy in a class of five girls. Whether he prefers his ladies young, red-headed or whether it is the only name he can pronounce, he seems to have a soft spot for an 18 month old named Abby. "Abby? Abby. Ahhb-by. Abby!" However, Abby is a little too young (or smart) to return his affection. Avery's other love interest at Kindermusik is a cute little girl named Kaelynne. She and Avery share hugs and kisses after some encouragement from the crowd. Kaelynne is one tough chick, which I totally admire. She likes to tackle Avery and pin him to the floor while hugging him. While Avery pretends this bothers him, I think he secretly likes it.

Avery had a recent playdate with both of his Kindermusik ladies, Abby and Kaelynne. A great time was had by all. :)

Crazy Comparisons

Avery at 7 Weeks Old:
Kayla at 7 Weeks Old:(...and Avery at 2 Years Old! How crazy is that?????)

A Modified Easter

Kayla's Easter may have come a week later than intended, but she still got to wear her pretty pink dress, gosh darnnit! She also received her first Easter basket, complete with all of the important things a nine week old needs: diapers, pacifiers, and a sunhat!

Videos of Sattelmeyer Cousins

A Week in Fayetteville