Luxury, Power, Technology, Comfort, Appeal and Self Respect!

As our family continued to grow, we realized we would need another vehicle that would accommodate that fact on top of many other wants and needs that we had. We find that so many families are too quick to dismiss self image and join the mini van club. As if this is the only thing that can accommodate the needs of a growing family or the gathering of groceries.

Monica and I have been looking for a vehicle over the past 2 years that would not be a mini van but also not be a huge monstrosity of an SUV. Monica being vertically challenged could only see over the dashboards of very few vehicles. She did not want anything that was excessively large but would also include enough towing capacity to pull a larger cabin cruiser (that was naturally my need LOL). Not many options fell within this criteria. You have your Yukons, Suburbans, Crew Cabs, Navigators, Escalades, Explorers and a few other super large SUV's that could pull over 7,500 lbs but unfortunately for us, they would not fit in the garage and we felt the quality just was non existent without an absurd price increase.To be open minded, we looked at all these vehicles just to make sure it was not what we wanted. We even looked into Audis, Porsche, BMW, Infinity and Lexus and the ability to tow 7,500+ lbs was not a feature that was included with these brands

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We had been eyeing the new Dodge Durango for at least 2 years since the 3rd generation new body style dropped. Specifically the 2014 - 2015 Dodge Durango RT because the rear light were (for a lack of better terminology) BAD ASS. We were looking for black on black with all the options and the Hemi. The problem we ran into was this vehicle is a unicorn. If it existed, we were not finding it anywhere. We would occasionally find a used one or new 2014 for the same price as the brand new ones.

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We were currently in a Hyndai Santa Fe Limited which we loved very much. It was in immaculate shape as this is how we took care of it. We had even customized it with an in dash DVD player with backup camera and 22" custom wheels. We could mirror our iPhones to the 7 inch in dash double din head unit and play Hulu, Netflix or whatever else was of interest. Because we traveled so much for Real Estate photography, this was an essential addition. You can see the full video tour of our 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe limited here. It was our plan to use the money as a down payment on the Dodge Durango RT.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84cU1zT6cn4&w=640&h=360]

We were on our way home from Panama City Beach when a teenager immediately pulled out from a side street  in front of us. There was no room to react fast enough to avoid the collision. We T boned the mid 80's F-150 in the rear drivers side tire. Thank the Lord that everyone was ok. Even the Hyundai (while looking quite bad) was still running smoothly. After exchanging info and having the police write up a report, we drove back to Atlanta.

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It took 2 months to go through the typical bullshit you get from an insurance company. After 2 weeks of going back and forth with GEICO, we went up to their office to get a check for $14,000. About 10 minutes into our meeting they look at us and say "we have some bad news". Apparently in Florida you only are required to have a minimum of 10,000 in property damage which would not cover the value of our vehicle. GEICO could only cut us a check for that.

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After immediately walking out we contacted our own insurance company Nationwide. Talk about being put through the ringer with GEICO, it was worse with Nationwide. They did not want to give us the value of our vehicle. They came in at $11,000 which was $3,o00 less then what GEICO was willing to pay before they realized their clients were underinsured. Long story short, I had to provided more documents to back the value until we eventually got the price up to $13,000. Lets just say it made Monica cry how evil both insurance companies were about this process. I honestly do not know how people that work in that industry sleep at night.

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But after all that, we always try to look on the bright side of any situation, and the luck of it all is we were in a position to now get our current dream vehicle! The 2015 Dodge Durango RT! We originally were looking for a Citadel, because it was chromed out and super sexy looking but came to find from our buying experience at Chrysler, Dodge Jeep of Gwinnett that we could have everything we were looking for in the RT! It was black on black leather with red stitching and red embroidered RT seats. This is the most sexy, masculine piece of SUV on the road period. It even has the black out 20" rims and sub in the trunk from the factory! The rear end looks like something out of the movie TRON.

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We were amazed at how much technology this car had. You could locate the lowest price gas station, or see what is playing at the movies with the in dash technology Uconnect system. Heated and cooled seats with heated steering wheel. You have 2 settings on the seat that would adjust the seat to each driver, but not only that, it would adjust the seat, radio, temperature settings and all that you wanted to program to match the driver! The dash is equipped with a 7inch customizable dash cluster. When you set the cruise control, you can set a 1 to 5 car length distance so when a vehicle in front begins to brake, so does the Durango. It will come to a complete stop and start back up to speed with traffic all on cruise control. You just have to hold the steering wheel! Don't forget the power lift gate, easy third row access, keyless entry and remote start.

For safety the Durango includes many aspects like blind spot warning, backup camera with sensors, front end sensors with brake assist. The brake assist is a very cool feature. Lets say that same kid pulls out in front of us again. The Durango will instantly brake faster then your brain can react to aid in avoiding a collision.

Now, I could go on and on about the technology they put in this beauty but the Dodge website does a great job already, so check out this link to see what else is included (click the image)

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Our wish list did not originally include all this technology, but it was super cool to find out it was included with the Durango. We were looking for something that would seat more than 4 to 5 people, without taking the dreaded MINI-VAN path! The Durango could seat 6 to 7 passengers. In addition to that we needed something that could tow a cabin cruiser, to continue the "dream!" The Durango has a towing capacity of 7,400 lbs. This proved to pull a 25 foot Regal Windows Express cabin cruiser quite well! With Standard Trailer Sway Control+ applies brake pressure on alternating wheels and may adjust engine throttle to help eliminate sway and maintain vehicle and trailer system stability.

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To pull a boat that size you need power. Well the 5.7 liter Hemi has power and an exhaust sound that will make any dude smile like a joker! As Dodge would say "So don't do it. With the Dodge Durango, you're getting the triple threat of Best-in-Class power+, towing capacity+ and standard fuel economy of 25 highway mpg+. You're getting a vehicle that doesn't wait around for anyone or anything. It's the left lane or bust."

  • 360-HP 5.7L HEMI® V8 Engine with Fuel Saver Technology and 390 LB-FT of Torque
  • Performance Steering and Sport Suspension (Lowered 20mm)
  • Class-Exclusive 20-Inch Hyper Black Aluminum Wheels+
  • Dual Rear Exhaust with Bright Tips
  • High-Intensity Discharge (HID) Headlamps with Black Bezels

The moral of the story is you no longer have to settle, sell out, ride the mainstream, lower self worth by driving a mini van. You can have your cake and eat it too. We love our new 2015 Dodge Durango RT. You need to check it out for yourself. Smiles per gallon baby! Now we are officially a Mopar family!

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Need more? This is a great video covering the Durango RT

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6nVQd4q8m8&w=640&h=360]


Our Royal Caribbean Experience

So, just to preface, this was our first cruise with Royal Caribbean Cruise lines. Paul and I have collectively been on over a dozen cruises, all with Carnival Cruise lines, so we wanted a change. This was the longest cruise we've even been on, and the first cruise as a "family", our Baby Man included! I want to use this as a record about the pros and cons of Royal Caribbean versus Carnival.

We planned this cruise with one of my best friends, Kristen (Storey) and her husband Steven. It was their honeymoon cruise, and our first cruise as a family. There were a hand full of priorities we were looking for in this cruise...

  1. Longer cruise - we've only really done max 5 night cruises, and this one was 7 nights
  2. Destination - we've been to Cozumel and Nassau more times that we'd ever want, so we wanted to go somewhere we've never been before.
  3. Baby friendly - I did a good bit of research before we planned the cruise, and wanted to be sure there was plenty of options for Liam from activities to babysitting, to family friendly dining.
  4. Party Atmosphere - Paul, as many of your know is all about the night life, so we wanted to be able to cut loose when possible.
  5. Awesome Food - We wanted to experience a variety of options relative to dining! That's what cruising is about right?

So to start, when we booked the cruise, Royal Caribbean was offering a promotion in which the 3rd and 4th stateroom guest get to stay free, so we only paid for Liam's taxes, fees and gratuity. That was a huge perk! We had heard so many great things about Royal Caribbean, so we were ready to book!

From sailing day, we could tell immediately this ship was pretty grand! Freedom of the Seas can hold 3600 guests plus another 1300 crew members. It's pretty amazing. We had a nice array of dining options, from the buffet style in WindJammer, Fine Dining in the various dining rooms, a 24 hour café, not to mention the Pizzeria and room service of course! This was all included, but there were additional dining options like a Steak House, Italian Restaurant, and more! On top of this, there was a very cool shopping mall area and awesome pools on deck 11.

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We booked an interior room, cause we figured we wouldn't be in the room, and for some reason the room felt a LOT smaller than what we've experience on Carnival. It might have been that we also had a pack and play in the room, but we have decided in the future we would definitely want to do an outer room, whether it's an ocean view or a balcony. And now that we are on the rooms, let's address the stateroom service. Our attendant was very cool, and would open our door for us on many occasions when he was nearby and we were juggling the baby. We only wished he had a little more practice and creativity with the towel animals, definitely room for improvement there! ;)

Now onto excursions! First stop was COCO CAY! This island is owned by Royal Caribbean, and it was a great option to be able to get off the boat and relax on the a gorgeous Caribbean beach. They had a food area where you could get burgers, hot dogs, fruit and other easy options. They also had waiters walking around the island with drinks, and you just handed them the sail and sign card and you're golden! They had plenty of activities, but we took this time to chill on the beach. The water was shallow and there were barely any waves, so it was great for letting Liam roam without worry!

RC_CococayWe had to take a water taxi from the boat to the island, so that was my only complaint. When we were headed back to the ship there was a ridiculous line for people waiting to catch the boat back to the ship (we estimated waiting over an hour)! Liam was not a happy camper for sure! But we survived and were happy to get back for more play!

Next stop was San Juan, Puerto Rico. This was a detour to our original plan which was St. Thomas. Unfortunately there was a crew member that was ill and they had to get them medical assistance right away - ironically the fastest option was to stop in Nassau, which didn't leave us the time to get to St. Thomas. So, San Juan it was! We didn't dock until late afternoon, so it was a short trip. We decided to just wander the city a bit, hit up some shops - Specifically Pandora! Happy Birthday to me! ;) and then we just walked around some more before we headed back to the boat. There was some beautiful architecture. Definitely a cool place to visit. Obviously we would have liked to have more time here, but that was an uncontrollable, and we made the best of the time we had.

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Next stop St. Maarten! I've heard mixed reviews about this island by people that have stayed at resorts here - specifically how safe it was, so we decided to leave Liam on the ship in the nursery for this day. Paul wanted to use this stop to get some beautiful shots of the island and get a taste of local food. We decided once we got off the boat, to see if we couldn't get a cab to some random spots and ended up doing a tour around the entire island! St. Maarten is divided into the Dutch side and the French side, and we checked out both sides! Our tour guide did an awesome job with two 20-30 minute stops in which we could grab lunch and walk around. We stopped by the airport and there were planes taking off right over the beach where people were in the water...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PywSDOYJS2c

...Marigot Market for lunch, and back around the island to our starting point... we  learned a lot about the island. Of course Paul saw a couple that was riding around on ATVs and said "next time that's what we're getting!" We shall see... haha

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We ended this island day with some more shopping! Paul has been on a kick about getting a new watch - thank you Matthew Levine. No really, THANK YOU, cause I made out even better than Paul! We both walked away with some awesome watches, but I got the better end of the deal there! Another Happy Birthday to me! And of course it's duty-free, so you can't beat that!

Now for our Days at Sea! I decided to leave those to last cause we did have three and a half days at sea. The pools were great, but one HUGE disappointment was the fact that Liam was confined to a lousy baby pool with a non-functioning fountain. It was a huge bummer when you see the awesome H20 Zone they have. I know it's regulation, but I guess some cruises are a little more strict than others, and in this case very strict! If we wanted to enjoy the pools, Liam was in daycare. Don't get me wrong, Liam had fun in the baby pool.. for about 15-20 minutes and then he wanted more... Below is the cool H20 zone that Liam wasn't allowed in.

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Two of our 3.5 days at sea, we used the daycare for 4-5 hours so we could get some baby free pool time, and I will say the daycare was AMAZING! I was very concerned going on a cruise/vacation with the baby feeling like I wouldn't get any relaxation time, but we did and it was wonderful! The daycare staff was great and while Liam wasn't always very happy when he realized we were leaving him, he quickly started playing and calmed down!

That is one thing I have been very torn about going back to Carnival with the baby, is that they seem to have limited daycare hours, the Camp Carnival is only for ages 2+, and they don't offer any in-room baby sitting. We didn't use that option with Carnival but, it's nice to know we would have that option!

Next on our list of wants was a party atmosphere, and I have say that was lacking on Royal Caribbean. It was obviously a family style cruise, but the clubs were very dispersed and almost seemed hard to find. On Carnival they were all grouped together. We did see a comedy show which was very good, but even that ended earlier than we expected! The daycare closed at 12PM (Midnight), and it seemed like a lot of other things closed not long after that! But we did get out and have a good time. They did have a casino, which also adds to the cruise experience, but on this ship it felt oddly placed.

We did however enjoy the wide variety of dining options! Liam was welcome in all the dining areas, even though there were times we decided daycare was a better option. Liam loved the pizzeria, and we were in the Windjammer for several breakfast, lunches and dinners! But the highlight was definitely the fine dining, and we were especially pleased with the second formal dinner! We had some lobster tail, filet mignon, rich cheese ravioli and some decadent deserts. We also checked out some of the paid options, including Johnny Rockets, for a traditional burger and sundaes, and our last evening we splurged on Chops steak restaurant. That was definitely the premium dining experience!

In comparison between the Royal Caribbean and Carnival dining experiences, we think that the food is on par with each other. I feel like you get a little more "American" style dining with Carnival, and a more European dining experience with Royal Caribbean. They were both delicious. I will say the room service options on Carnival definitely hit the spot more. Carnival seemed to have more options, but both are pretty wonderful.

I did like with Royal Caribbean we could order room service through our TV, but I think because of that system, room service took longer and they had horrible phone operation services. I don't know how many times I tried to call room service, or one of the dining rooms or even the guest services and it would just ring and ring and ring. But it wasn't the end of the world, and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience!!

Check out some of more photos from our last night!

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You can see the rest of the photos here!


NYC…Better Late than Never

Following our trip to Philly, we headed to NYC to visit with our good friends Derrick and Jesus, and celebrate my birthday in the city! We got to check out their new place and have fun running around the city!

Day One:

First stop, Derrick and Jesus' place! It's a nice spot in Jersey, a short drive from the city! They fell in love with the colorful living and dining rooms.
NYC2013_1Next stop, Katz Deli! Paul had to get the notorious pastrami and swiss, as seen on Adam Richman's Man v. Food, and of course the orgasm scene from When Harry Met Sally! Everything was delish!
NYC2013_2From Katz, we headed around town for some more pics, but ended our evening with some of Paul's best work yet. NYC photos from Brooklyn! They turned out amazing! It was funny because this was the photo spot, and there were so many people with cameras out there.

NYC2013_3It was a fun-filled day, and we felt pretty good about everything we did.

Day Two:

My birthday, YEAH! All I really wanted, was some birthday cake, so we decided to head to Greenwich Village for a little window shopping and to go to The Magnolia Bakery (as seen in Sex and the City), and we got some amazing cupcakes! The peanut butter and jelly cupcake was my favorite! We decided to enjoy our deserts in the park right by Bleecker playground, it was definitely the spot to be.

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From there we decided to head to China Town for a little more shopping if you know what I mean! ;) I definitely have to say, my birthday was pretty wonderful!

NYC2013_5Before we headed back to Derrick's we decided to stop by Time Square for a couple more pictures. Paul outdid himself for sure.

NYC2013_TimeSquareHDRsAnd of course we couldn't leave the city without getting a pic of the Challenger in the city...

NYC2013_ChallengerNext time - the plan will be to stay in the city… maybe the Waldorf Astoria! hehehe


Parents.com Photo Contest

So I've entered this pic of Liam into the Parents.com Photo contest. He was #126 and now he's #103! That's an improvement! So I thought I would post to my blog to see if we can't get some more votes! You can vote daily! It would be so exciting if he won!

Click here to Vote!Philly064-XL


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!

LiamsFirstPumpkinPatchI 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!

LiamandBunnyWe had the Chunk Master with us, and Paul could not resist getting some classic shots of Chunk and the pumpkins.

ChunkandPumpkinsI 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!

CousinsWe 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!Philly005 edThe 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.

Philly018 roomsWhat 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!

Philly064 bwSo 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!

Philly120b pan edDay 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!

Philly191 edAnd 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!

Philly236 edAnd 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...

Philly279 edThe 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.

Philly308Liam 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...

Philly318 edWe 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.

Philly367 edAnd 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!

Philly392Next 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!

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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!

LaimRoom1We 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!!!

LiamRoom2

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!
LiamRoom3LiamRoom4Stay tuned as Liam will be arriving very soon!


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!

maternity_perdueosityThank you so much to Elaine and Paul for making this first baby and Maternity Shoot so absolutely memorable and beautiful!