Pumpkin Fun | 2013
It's that time of the year and pumpkins are all the rage, of course! With a new little one in the family we had to take Liam (aka Baby Man) out to the pumpkin patch for those notorious fall pictures. We headed to the Custom Wood & Garden Shop at Hamilton Mill and I-85. They feature seasonal products, and this time of the year that includes pumpkins! They had lots of pumpkins, bunnies for petting and purchasing, ponies for riding, and jumpies too!
Liam was such a great sport! It was so hard to decide which pictures to share!
I love that pouty face!
After getting a lot of pumpkin shots, we decided to have a little fun with bunnies! Liam really liked petting the bunny, and the bunny was quite tolerable. I was the only one not having absolute fun, worried the bunny would go rogue on Liam and he'd leave the pumpkin patch crying with nibbled fingers. No such thing happen, and no bunnies were harmed! haha But we did get some absolutely adorable shots!
We had the Chunk Master with us, and Paul could not resist getting some classic shots of Chunk and the pumpkins.
I love the shot of Chunk and Liam... they look like the best of friends here. Unfortunately Liam was losing patience with Daddy, so it was only a matter of time before we had to hit the road!
Paul's Mom and our niece and nephew, Kennedy and Trey, met us up at the pumpkin patch for some more fun pictures. Had to get some sweet pics of the "grand-babies" in for GaMa!
We then headed back to GaMa's house for some pumpkin carving! Trey and Kennedy made some creative jack-o-lanterns! As night fell, Paul was able to get some creative shots of all the kids with the glow of the newly carved pumpkins.
I love my photographer Husband! Our house will be filled with beautiful photos of our family! See all the photos from our Pumpkin Patch Shoot Here...
Destination Philadelphia
My cousin Marisa's wedding was fast approaching and with our Baby Man - Liam, we figured it would be a good reason to make a road trip out of the occasion. The wedding was to take place in downtown Philly, so we made a plan to continue our trip beyond the wedding, but our trip started in Philly!
Our first stop once we hit Philadelphia was of course Pat's King of Steaks, and it was definitely true to the classic Philly Cheese Steak. We tried ours with American cheese, but apparently it's supposed to be good with cheese whiz.... hmm not sure what I think about that. So we could check Philly Cheese steak off the list!
The wedding was at The Bellevue Philadelphia, and we were lucky enough to be able to share a suite with my parents. It was great considering we had Liam with us! The rooms were awesome and the living space was great for hanging out and visiting with family before the wedding.
What a great view! And of course it was great as my parents were happy to help us out so we could have some time in the city.
After settling in we couldn't resist taking pics of our little man it this posh suite!
So our first night in the city we went to the Philly's game, thanks to my brother. It was ironically the first and only baseball game I've been to this year. It was definitely a fun time, and so convenient to our hotel as we were able to take the subway! And I was happy to get my Phillies cap of ice cream, and was able to bring a souvenir back to baby man!
Day 2 in Philly: We had some time to sight-see and visit with family before the wedding! We got to see the LOVE sign, and I must say it wasn't as impressive as I imagined, but that was another must-do that got checked off the list. Liam really enjoyed it!
And the day continued with a fun visit with family! I was able to meet up with my cousin Beth and her daughter Ramona, who was born just three weeks before Liam! It was a lot of fun, so awesome to get to see everyone! Ramona is a cutie pie, and she and Liam had fun - I can't wait to see how they are together as they get older!
And before we put the camera away, my Dad had to have his photo of all the men, including baby man in their "flat caps!" It'll be fun to share all these photos with Liam one day!
The wedding was fast approaching, and we were getting ready to head to the wedding. Thankfully my parents made arrangements with my Dad's cousin Valerie to watch Liam and she volunteered to take both Liam and Ramona! Thank you again Valerie! You were an amazing baby sitter and it was also very nice to visit with you and catch up for the short time we were able to spend with you!
The evening continued with my cousin Marisa's lavish wedding! It was by far the most extensive wedding Paul or I have ever been to! The ceremony we slow to start (in a funny way), but was a very sweet ceremony! And from there we went to an awesome cocktail hour with shrimp cocktail and oyster, dim sum and sushi, and delicious cheese and meats, not to mention the various items served throughout the room. And the reception was even more pleasing with a delicious salad and shrimp cocktail, a pear sorbet palette cleanser, and a delicious fillet and crab topped white fish! Absolutely amazing! But it didn't end there, they had a 12 or 13 piece band that had no problem getting everyone on the dance floor between courses, and a closing with a delicious piece of vanilla wedding cake with raspberry filling with a scoop of chocolate chocolate chip ice cream! And you'd think that would be enough, but you could also take a little desert night-cap with you of eclairs and other sweet pastries! Mmmmmm...
The evening wound down with more family shots, and we were out until brunch the next morning!
Day 3 in Philly: Started off with an extensive brunch! We were excited as we wanted to be able to show off the little ones. Beth brought Ramona and we brought Liam and both of them got to visit with all the cousins and extended family. It was nice for everyone to be able to gather one more time.
Liam wore his tie and cardigan for the occasion! It really was wonderful to see everyone!
It was our last day in Philly, so we decided we couldn't leave without doing a little more sight-seeing!
First we went to the Philadelphia Art Museum to see the notorious Rocky steps! So cool! The funny thing is the Museum is more visited because of Rocky than because of the exhibits...
We checked Rocky off the list and one last stop before we headed to NJ and NYC! The Liberty Bell! I hadn't been there since I was a little girl and it was definitely cool to see if as an adult. And it's exciting that we were able to take Liam to all these cool places, even if he won't remember any of it.
And last, but not least we decided to stop at my childhood home, in Delran, NJ! It was pretty much on the way, and very cool to be able to share with Paul.
It looks pretty much the same, except they tore down the awesome tree I used to play on that was in the front yard. Was pretty cool to drive through the old neighborhood, even if it was only a small part of the trip!
Next up, NYC here we come!
See more photos from our Philly Trip! Click Here
Dabbling with Some Baby Man Photo Video!
We were up into the late hours playing with all the pictures and some video that we've collected of Liam so far and couldn't resist putting this little video together!
Hope you enjoy, it's short and sweet! I can't imagine what it'll look like when we've got a year of photos!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naU-4fu5eXo&w=750&h=422]
Liam is Almost 3 Months! Boy Does the Time Fly!
Liam is just shy of 3 months, now 11 weeks and he is doing great! He's been right on track with all his growth and checked out great with the pediatrician, cardiologist and neurologist! We couldn't be more excited at his amazing progress! He's an amazing baby "man" and we love him sooooo much!
He's not sleeping all the way through the night just yet, but I'm sure we'll get there soon! He is a good sleeper when he does, and when he's awake he's all about checking out everything and being a part of the action - just like his daddy! He's smiling and laughing all the time, is ok with bath time, but absolutely hates being rubbed down with lotion! We'll have to fix that! We are all about the softness in this house! ;)
Check out these photo collages of Liam from day one until now!
To see more pics of Liam from his 8 week shoot click here!
Liam's Nursery Reveal!
It's been a process... Liam's Room is for all intensive purposes complete and we are ready to share it with the world!
We like to think it's a space for Paul and I to be able to share time together with our little man, so it's definitely a room we can enjoy as "adults" with touches of baby here and there! It was also super important to us that it would be a room he can grow into! We were going for a more modern car/sign feel! And I definitely feel like there is room for more personal touches like pictures of our little man and maybe even more fun car stuff!
So we start with the process with... PAINTING! The room was previously a milk chocolate color and we decided to go with some neutral yet cool colors!
We purchased the paint at Sherwin Williams, and it turned out awesome! I love the Light French Gray and White Stripes!! We also updated the ceiling fan to a more modern clean feel of stainless steel! Perks of the new fan!? Multiple speeds on a remote and a DIMMER too! YAY!!!
So now for the big reveal!!!
Now here's the low-down!
Crib: Babyletto Mercer Crib
Dresser/Changing Table: Childcraft by Sauder Shoal Creek Double Dresser - Matte White from Target.com
Ceiling Fan: Don't know brand - bought at Home Depot
Closet System: allen + roth 8-ft White Wood Closet Kit at Lowes (FYI - "white" is off white - kind of a bummer, but that's what doors are for!)
Closet Doors: KVARTAL - Triple curtain rail, aluminum color from IKEA. We bought three panels the Grey Twill Color and the stop and bottom metal pieces too! (all pieces sold separate! including the wall mounts!)
Sofa: Was my grandmother's and we had it re-covered. It's a sofa bed! Great for guests!
Rocking Chair: Paul's family's and that was re-covered as well!
White Side Tables/Storage-Toy boxes: Paul made those! With a bit of help from Kevin! (email us if you want to know more about that!)
And of course the accessories and decor!
LIAM and ROUTE 66 Sign: Purchased the Route 66 Sign on eBay and had the same vendor do the custom Liam sign! www.theelectricmoon.com
Glass Shelves: LINJAL - Glass shelf, clear glass - from IKEA
Curtains: Eclipse™ Fairfax Thermaweave Window Panel from Target
COOL Car Walker: Combi All In One Activity Walker - Black GT on Amazon
Dachshund Light: MyPetLamp Dachshund Accent Lamp (online)
Quilt: Made by me! Email me for details about fabric - here is the tutorial!
Sofa Pillows: Made by me!
Mobile: Wimmer-Ferguson Infant Stim-Mobile (FYI - the arm didn't fit our crib so I had to buy an alternate mobile arm!
License Plate Map: All Metal U.S. Map with License plate design - on eBay
Jingle Jugs: Compliments of Paul's friend Shane White! Paul got these a couple Christmas' ago from Shane and is now insisting they stay in Liam's room... we'll see how long that lasts! But he did get them in the pictures!
Sock Monkey-Dachshund: In honor of Chunk Master we had to get Liam a "Sock Chunky!" from SockMonkeyFarm on Etsy!
If there's anything else you're curious about don't hesitate to ask!
And finally, to set the mood - check it out in the evening lounge style all lit up!
Stay tuned as Liam will be arriving very soon!
Our Mustache Bash Baby Shower!
I can't believe it's been an entire month since I've posted a blog, but I guess that is par for the course when you are preparing for a baby on the way! And we couldn't be more grateful as we had an awesome baby shower! It was a mustache bash for our little man Liam!
We had such a great turn-out I was super overwhelmed with everything our little man will have to make life that much easier! We couldn't be more excited and thankful for everything everyone gave us! We had some fun games like word scramble, baby bingo, guess the m&m's in the bottle and my favorite "Guess that Stash". Paul designed the invitations as well as the games, and it was a lot of fun! Then it was onto opening gifts! It was mostly the ladies for the event, but the men came back toward the end and Paul got to help me open a couple of the last presents.
I want to thank everyone that came out (from near and far ;)) and were so gracious to give all these wonderful gifts and I of course want to thank my mother-in-law (Marty) and sister-in-law (Elizabeth) who did an awesome job hosting and pulling things together, my friends Kristin (Storey) and Yarden for helping to set-up, clean-up, and MC... not to mention paint mustaches on mugs with me! And of course I also want to thank Elaine for taking all these awesome pictures!
If you'd like to seem more fun pics from the shower, click here! It won't be long before Liam will be here so stay tuned!
Our Maternity Shoot
This past weekend Paul and I, with our good friend Elaine Hoyt, decided to knock out our maternity shoot! We are always trying to think outside of the box and with some awesome props like Paul's new Challenger and some adorable cowboy boots that were Paul's as a baby we got some awesome original shots!
We did everything in Buford, but started in a wide open parking lot in the back of an industrial park nearby. Starting off pretty safe with some cute shots of the "three" of us with the Challenger, Paul wanted to switch things up by doing some donuts in the Challenger behind me! While I wasn't originally for that idea, it turned out AWESOME!
After that we headed to downtown Buford where we were able to get some cool rustic shots. And oh my was I shocked to see how big my belly has gotten! Check it out!
Thank you so much to Elaine and Paul for making this first baby and Maternity Shoot so absolutely memorable and beautiful!
Paul's Mid-Life Challenger
Paul turned 35 on January 20th, and this will be a big year for us as we are expecting our first little one. But 2013 is the year of more than one "baby" coming into our life!
The day of Paul's actual birthday, we didn't have much going on. We met up with his Mom and sister at an Antique Mall in Cumming, and from there didn't have much planned. SO, Paul wanted to go test drive some cars for fun. We decided to go over and look at what Curtis (one of Paul's best friends) was working with at Rick Case Hyundai in Duluth. I think it was a pretty quiet day for Curtis anyway, so we were able to check out a couple of cars! We started with the Hyundai Genesis Coupe - a small sporty ride. While it handled nicely it just didn't feel like it had the comfort and quality we were expecting. We both have Hyundai's and LOVE them, but this was nothing compared to our XG350L and the Santa Fe. And, yes I know, the Genesis Coupe is a sports car so it's not got the kind of luxury of the other rides, we wanted it all!
Next we test drove a 2011 Dodge Challenger... a sexy white muscle car with power, handling and surprising luxury! It's a sports car yes, but it's big and ironically quiet! Both Paul and I drove it, and we were absolutely enamored! It's comfortable, yet handles well. It's quite the looker, and quite spacious too!
Now I know what you are thinking... "They are about to have a baby and they are buying a sports car?!" Yeah, we thought about that too, but the backseat is roomy, and we already have my car which is a perfectly good "mommy mobile!" And after our little man arrives, what are the chances we can enjoy a vehicle like this?! We took an extended test drive, and literally fell in love!
Monday, Paul called the insurance company to see what we'd be looking at there, and you know what? It was actually less expensive than our 4 door XG350L because it has better safety ratings! Another sign we were leaning towards moving forward with the purchase!
Pros:Spacious
Quiet
Handles Great!
Better Fuel Economy Less on Insurance Better Safety Ratings And SUPER SEXY! Cons: Hmmmm... the only one we can think of is 2-doors instead of 4, but what can you do, it's a sports car!
Later that evening we headed to the dealer and a deal was made! We couldn't be happier and we've already gotten a lot of use out of it! I'm hopeful this baby could be a collectible we can give to our baby one day! ;)
Kindness... as Interpreted by Ze Frank
During the election I came across some hilarious commentary by Ze Frank about the debates and ever since I've been enjoying my Youtube subscription to his channel and the video I came across today just stuck with me and I needed to share! It's about KINDNESS! And during this time of fresh starts with the New Year and resolutions I think it's such a great message!
Check it out below!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=504__4ZzHac&w=640&h=360]
While the entire message stands out to me, I did pull an awesome quote that I'd love to share and hope you enjoy whether or not you watch the video!
"Kindness - It's like little rays of light that emanate out from the interactions you have with people, maybe little candles that light inside them...You can tell the people that have had a lot of experience with kindness, they glow like they do have a lot of tiny little candles burning inside of them." - Ze Frank
Pass on the kindness and start glowing and seeing others glow!
2012 In Review | What an Awesome Year to Blog!
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for perdueosity.
Here's an excerpt:
4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 35,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 8 Film Festivals
Click here to see the complete report.
