Boo!

It's been a week full of costumes, unpacking, packing, flying and so much more. Thursday was costume day at Jack's preschool. He dressed as a turtle. At first, he wasn't a huge fan of the costume, but he warmed up to it. He wore it again on Saturday to the fall festival at my sister's school where I hear he enjoyed some fun games. According to his grandparents, he was a busy boy all day long barely stopping to nap.

Josh and I flew down to Jacksonville to catch up with old friends and catch a football game. Other than our already late night flight being delayed about an hour, the trip was pretty smooth. We had a blast seeing Mike & Liz, some friends who live in Charleston that we don't get to see enough. The Walshs are expecting their first child in December. Ironically, Liz & I had on the same UGA maternity shirt! We were quite the pair. We also joined up with my cousins Paul & Tammy before heading into the game. The tailgating was fun; the game not so much...but I had pretty low expectations. Overall, we were still glad we made the trip since we had such a good time seeing friends, and it's always nice to getaway. The last time UGA won (in 2007), I was pregnant...so actually it was kind of a relief that we didn't win (lol!) So, in case you are taking notes me being pregnant does not automatically mean Georgia will beat UF.

Tonight Jack helped me with dinner. Last week, I was looking for a way to get him involved with dinner and thought he could help mash the potatoes. He had such a good time that I made them again tonight. He is great at putting in the butter, sour cream and pouring in the milk. His absolute favorite part though is the salt and pepper. Here he is in action (and just in case you were wondering we didn't put NesQuik powder in the potatoes.)

Also, I just finished catching up on some of my photo uploads. There are new photos for the month of September (warning: I didn't take many pics in September), the month of October & even Project 365 (captions to come).

By the numbers...

I thought I'd try one of those fun by the numbers posts to fill you in on the last week, but I must confess most of the numbers will be completely made up in the event that I can't actually recall how much of something took place.

7 - loads of laundry completed; this one may actually be a conservative estimate(beach laundry, linens, clothes and more)

3 - trips to the grocery store in the last week; I rarely remember or think to make a list until I'm walking in the store, so I usually end up returning a few days later, but I'm okay with it. I only had to take Jack with me once so that means two more bakery cookies hopefully found another home.

5 - the number of meals and or dishes prepared for people other than my immediate family. Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons were spent helping prepare this week's Wednesday Night Supper at church. On Thursday, I took dinner to a friend who had a baby a couple of weeks ago. Friday & Saturday mornings I made dishes for MOPS and a baby shower, respectively. Sunday afternoon, I prepared and delivered dinner to another friend who had just had a baby. (Yes, I know a lot of pregnant people.)

2 - doctor's appointments I had this week. One to have my eyes and vision checked, the other a prenatal visit.

1 - doctor's appointments that I arrived at the appropriate time for. Yes, I'm blaming it on the pregnancy brain and my multiple trips to the grocery store.

5 - number of sweet friends that we accompanied to Goldbrook pumpkin farm on Wednesday. Jack loved the train ride and hayride with Andrew, Carson and Davis. Mrs. Andrea & Mrs. Jenn were pretty fun too!

2 - photo shoots I participated in. The first on Tuesday for Initials, INC's Spring & Summer catalog; and the second with the Garrett clan in Dillard on Saturday.

732 - photos I've taken during the month of October. At some point I promise to sort through them and post a folder. When? If I could quantify I would certainly include it in this list.

20 - dollars I won Thursday evening in our monthly Bunco gathering. I also snagged one of Kim's super cute homemade door prizes.

14 - hours (give or take 3) spent cleaning, moving furniture and basically readying our basement for occupancy. With some much appreciated help from my mom & brother, as well as Josh's dad who helped get the cornices in place. It's starting to take shape down there.

Back home

We are back from the beach and had such a wonderful trip. There is so much to share, but I will most likely recall it in bits and pieces and share a lot of photos. We returned home to very chilly temperatures and a basement that is practically complete. Since we have been waiting so long, Josh & I were eager to get some furniture (that had been sitting wrapped up) into its proper place. Before that, some cleaning had to be done. We got one room sort of in place Saturday night and another Sunday night. There is still much to be done, but I'm sort of seeing a light and thinking we may actually enjoy a football game or two down there soon.

The beach was so much fun; and the weather was fabulous. I had my doubts about whether we would be able to set foot in the ocean or the pool outback, but we couldn't have asked for better weather. It was overcast a couple of days, which translates to longer beach time with little ones. We rented a house with some great friends, the Shaws and Yorks and our boys had a grand time swimming, running, jumping, singing and just being boys! When Jack and Andrew weren't plunging into the pool they were in the shadow of the "big boys" Tate & Brit. I took so many pictures, which I will eventually upload, but there is still so much catching up to do they will have to wait. So, here are just a few to wet your appetite!

For all my locals...

Okay, for all my local readers (I know there are about 4 of you...lol!), I wanted to give you a heads up about a wonderful opportunity coming up in a couple of weeks. If you do indeed read my blog, you've read about Sue Ann Holland, a friend of mine from childhood who takes wonderful photos. Well, as you all know...we live in one of the most beautiful parts of the country (the North Georgia mountains or at least the foothills of said mountains). Well, Sue Ann knows a good setting when she sees one and will be taking portraits in nearby Dillard on Saturday, October 24. The sitting fee is very reasonable and you get so much more than an online proof gallery...think matted print, Christmas cards & VIP pricing! Take a look at her blog for more info and samples of her work. You won't be disappointed.

It's a brother...

Yesterday was the big day. We took Jack along to see "pictures of the baby on tv." He seemed to enjoy watching the big screen and even pointed out the baby's nose, ears, mouth and eyes (with a little help from Daddy). The technician asked us if we wanted to know the sex and we said we did. She immediately got a clear shot and said, "can you tell?" I said, "looks like a boy to me!"

So, we told Jack he was getting a brother. He practiced saying brother some of the afternoon. We made calls, sent texts and emails...unfortunately, I'm just now getting around to updating the blog! Anyway, hope you enjoy this shot of little brother. We're in the process of thinking of names and have enjoyed several interesting suggestions! Thanks for sharing this excitement with us.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Okay so they weren't in the pennant race and had no chance of reaching the playoffs, but we had tickets to the final Braves game of the season on Sunday. It was a great day to be at the ballpark. It was a bit overcast, not too cool, not hot at all (unlike the HOT day of football the day before). We did endure a couple of sprinkles of rain a few times, but nothing a baseball hat didn't take care of. Jack seemed to enjoy himself. There was plenty of room around us (not as crowded as the Braves v. Yankees game we took in earlier this year). He got his first Braves hat (big enough to grow with him) and loved the peanuts and cracker jacks. We stayed for 9 innings of fun, but left before the "free baseball" began. Jack had grown a little weary of the game by then.

In order to make it in time for the game, we left church early and hurried home to change clothes. For some reason, Jack decided to grab his burger king crown on the way out to the car and wore it all the way to the stadium. He even managed a one-hour nap with his crown perfectly in place. In fact, he was a little miffed when we made him leave it in the car to head into the game.

Tomorrow afternoon is my 20-week ultrasound. If all goes well, we should be able to tell if Jack is welcoming a little brother or sister. We'll share the news as quickly as we can; after calling all the VIPs...lol!

A day at the farm

Jack & I spent yesterday morning with our sweet friends Erin, Gus & Mack (or "Dus" & "Ack" as Jack calls his friends) at Jaemor Farms. We roamed the pumpkin patch, the farmer's market, a small corn maze and even received a tour on the tractor. Of all the exciting parts, I think Jack's favorite was just running around with Gus. They chased each other through the kid's corn maze and then up and down the porch of the farmer's market. We came home with some yummy apples and beautiful pumpkins.