Hillcrest Orchards with Grammy G

Well, we went all out this year with the fall festivities. How can you resist when you have such an active toddler!? We had so much fun at Hillcrest Orchards this year and were excited to take Grammy G from Florida who doesn't get to see the different seasons! We went last year but I don't remember the food being this good {not sure if it had anything to do with the fact that I'm pregnant}. We had roasted corn on the cob, pulled pork sandwiches, apple-peeled fried potatoes, hot dogs, chicken-on-a-stick, apple pie, apple fritters and homemade vanilla ice cream. Just writing about this makes me want to go back for some more, Mmm it was so good! There was so much to do there that we didn't even have time to get to everything. I guess that just means we'll have to go again next year;). Luke enjoyed the tire playgrounds, feeding/chasing/terrorizing all the farm animals, watching the pig race {those things squeal like crazy}and a huge surprise/shocker he wanted to hop on the cow you see in the pictures below. He loved it!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! So last year Luke was just 8 months old and crawling and this year Luke was 21 months and running. We were so excited for Luke to try trick or treating this year. Poor little guy woke up from his nap with a 103.3 fever though. He wasn't his usual self to say the least and we thought we were going to have to skip trick or treating all together. We had family over for yummy chili and spooky cute desserts. We took a try at putting Luke in his costume and he took the bait! We went to a couple of our neighbors homes and he did such a good job. I really thought he would be too scared to give it a try but he walked right up and even said "trick-or-treat"! Luke was a cute little Dalmatian, Dave was a fire hydrant and the radio flyer was a fire truck (painted by Dave). His favorite candy were lollipops:).

Pumpkin Patch

We made it back to Yahoo Farms Pumpkin Patch this year! We had so much fun terrorizing the farm animals, enjoying a festive hayride through the pumpkin patch and picking out some humongous pumpkins! Grammy tried hard to get Luke to ride the pony but Luke wasn't having it. Here are some pictures from the day.

Here is a side by side picture of Luke last year and this year. I can not believe how much he's grown in just one year. This entire year I've been comparing his stages to last year and it boggles my mind to see his growth and development. It does go fast. Thank you Lord for allowing me to see these stages.

Exterior House Renovations

When we bought our house we knew it needed work to the inside and out. We compiled a lengthy list of things we wanted to fix and upgrade and decided we would tackle each section at a time. At first we thought that project was going to be the kitchen/family room but after living in our house we decided that the outside needed WAY more help then the inside at this point. The house was built in the late 90's and we believe that over the many years that have past, the previous owners neglected to take care of regular maintenance. It's scary to see how quick a house can rot and mold when not properly taken care of. If we hadn't started now we would have had even more issues in the future.

I've said this many a times but my husband is VERY VERY handy. In fact, he's pretty much a contractor without the contractor license {me bragging}. So everything we did to the exterior of the house HE did. Minus the paint {I finally convinced him that task was way to big for him to take on}:). We've spent A LOT of money on this project but SAVED a lot of money with him and his dad doing it. Take a look at the before and after pictures! There were many obstacles.

Projects Dave took on:

Replaced rotted windows, siding and trim

Added new front porch stairs 

Fixed sag at front porch and back deck

New fence

Added and fixed deck

Projects we hired out:
New roof    

 New paint

BEFORE

AFTER

Swan Coach House Wedding Shower

If you don't live in Georgia then you probably don't know about The Swan Coach House. It's a little piece of history for Atlanta and also a nice dainty place to throw a southern wedding or baby shower. This place is run like clockwork and luckily we were the first shower of the day so I got to get in early to set up. I knew I didn't have much time to set up so I figured I'd keep the decor to a minimum by adding a yellow/white chevron table runner, striped pink/white paper straws, my handmade pinwheels {ps-so easy to make and adds lots of bang for your buck} and of course the cake! I had so much fun helping throw this shower for my sister, love you!

All The Single Ladies-Throw your hands up!

What better way to throw a bachelorette party then at the lake?! Girls weekend baby, woohoo! Starting the evening with tequila shots, bikini cake, sneaky pete's and lingerie is just a sneak peak as to what the rest of the weekend would bring. The next day we basked in the sun via boat with the bride-to-be decked in veil, sash and wedding dress! We headed to Sunset Cove where the bachelorette was ordered to complete her "single to do list," {Don't worry, we kept it 'G' rated;). Oh, and did I forget to mention we played rounds and rounds of volleyball and whooped everyone that came against us. To top it off we ended with some extreme wake-boarding with the bride-to-be in full attire! Here are some pictures from the big weekend!

It ends with a Bang!

Welp, I thought I was going to get better at posting but it seems my last entry was back in April and it's late October! With very good reason though...the entire summer plans changed when my sister got engaged and decided she wanted to have a summer wedding! I knew I would have to step it up and take on my matron of honor duties and then some. The wedding and all it's festivities were a success. I managed to plan (with the help of others of course) her wedding, a shower, a bachelorette party and take full control of flowers and decor for the wedding. It was a hefty task but well worth it for my best friend and sister who will only have this special moment once. Along with the wedding we managed to squeeze in two family vacations, exterior house renovations, my best friends baby shower/baby, Luke growing and learning by the second and conceiving a second child. Whoa, we managed to squeeze that last one in there, WHAT!?:). Let's just say the famous line (It happens when you least expect it) happened to us. We were so very excited to hear the news as we had been trying since we miscarried back in January. God is good and everything is in His perfect timing not ours. So it has been a busy busy fun fun summer!

Here are our family vacation pictures from when we spent some relaxing days at the Omni Resort Orlando with the Gentile's and lazy beach days with the Young's at Outer Banks, North Carolina. We are so blessed and thankful our parents can treat us to these annual trips. We enjoy them so much and they will have lasting memories with the kiddies!!

Orlando trip with the Gentiles. You'll notice Luke looks a little glassy eyed and sad in most of these pictures. Turns out his molars sprouted soon after we left!

The Young Family trip to the Outerbanks. Luke and Elli were too cute together. They acted much like brother and sister, loving each other one minute and Elli yelling "Go Way" the next. 

And lastly, our long awaited newbie coming soon to the Gentile household April 7, 2013! We are thrilled beyond words. We have 3 more weeks until we find out the sex. I'm DYING to know already!!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter! No need to do a write up the pictures say it all:)

Sweet Faces

Picture taken by my talented hubby:) My favorite yet:)

I love, love, love this picture that Dave took. While we were in Hilton Head I went on and on {i'm pretty sure I sounded like a broken record} about how I wanted to make sure, before we left, we got nice pictures of Luke on the beach dressed in a {cute} outfit. The last day we were there Luke woke up earlier then usual. Dave took over, while I slept in. When I woke up an hour later Dave surprised me with this photo and the one's below. He had gotten Luke dressed and went out to the beach during sunrise and taken these photos and several others. What a way to top off a vacation!! Such a thoughtful husband:)

The long awaited list is here again. Luke is 14 months and 1-1/2 weeks old, whew! It's true what they say, the older they get the busier YOU get. I guess it doesn't help that I squeeze in working from home while he takes his naps, but I'm making it work {sometimes by the skin of my teeth}!

• He is incredibly active and runs everywhere now.
• He likes to climb. We went to chick-fil-a and he climbed to the top of the play gym and played in the hamster tubes. He's also climbed a step ladder without me noticing!
• He LOVES the outdoors. He points outside and signs 'please' when he wants to go out. He even finds his shoes and sits in front of me so I can put them on (he evens tries to put them on himself). He associates shoes with outside!
• He LOVES to read. He pulls books off the shelves and brings them to me signing 'please' he then sits in my lap and waits patiently for me to read. It's nice to have him cuddle close for a good read:).
• He signs for just about everything now. He signs; please, help, more, all done, milk. We're working on Mommy, Daddy, water and thank you.
• During our last doctor's visit our pediatrician suggested we ween Luke off the pacifier. Our first step was a success. We only give it to him while he's taking a nap or bedtime. When we go to get him up we say 'bye, bye pacifier' and Luke pulls it out of his mouth and throws it in the crib. Sometimes I even forget and he'll hold it and look at me like, 'mommy aren't you going to say something?.' Next step will be to remove it from the crib. I think I may wait a while on this one:).
• He gives open mouth kisses that are intoxicating;).
• He gives great big hugs.
• He likes to wave at people but I think he likes to wave at cars more.
• He loves Rufus and other dogs. He'll get right up to them and pat them. He giggles when there tails smack him in the face.
• He's not really into words yet but is all about the sounds (such a boy, right?). He mimics sneezing, coughing, farting, sighing, laughing, sniffing, blowing, etc. We even noticed that when Grampa called for Beau by puckering his lips and making a sound Luke walked around doing the same.
• He eats great with a fork and spoon. In fact, more times then not he prefers it. He's even able to get peas to stay on the spoon and make it into his mouth.
• He likes to eat and drink. He's into sandwiches so I make panini's and grilled cheese for him often.
• His favorite veggie is broccoli and green beans and peas are a close second:).
• Can you believe this little guy hasn't had juice yet?! He eats so much fruit through the day I don't see the need. His favorite fruits are bananas, clementines, pears and grapes.

My little daydreamer, just like me:)