182.

A hot and sticky start to my family's vacation with a trip to the Farmer's Market downtown at the river.  We bought fresh okra, sweet corn, zucchini, squash, a jar of homemade dill pickles and a spicy blackberry salsa.  Then we decided to cool off by having lunch at Mellow Mushroom- delicious pizza and air conditioning made us all feel better! 

Lunch at Mellow Mushroom

Our hillbilly lunch guest- barefoot on the table and all!

181. pottery painting

Meghan and I were pottery painters today.  I painted 2 crosses,

one for Baby J and one for Baby Jellybean,

who is due 1-1-2013. 

180.

After baby-proofing our home I realized that we didn't have any family photos visible.  Our end tables and shelves have been cleared of frames and other decor so little baby fingers can't break said items and owner of those baby fingers won't hurt himself.  
In our dining room I decided to make a family portrait wall.  I believe that most people who do this, do it the right way- by deciding what photos they want on the wall and buying frames accordingly.  I did not.  I already had these photos and all the frames.  Luckily I think the drastic diversity between the frames works when put together. 
So without further ado... here is the end result...





 The newest family member couldn't be left out...

And I will let you in our my little secret.  Thankfully I had Jasmin's help with this project (my project partner these days!) and she had use trace the frames on brown paper and hang those on the wall to decide arrangement and spacing.  It made designing the wall's layout so much easier! 

179.

After quite a few months I finally started and finished our medal rack project.   I am happy with the cheerful color (lemonade is it's name) and I even more happy to have our marathon and half marathon medals up for display instead of collecting dust in the guest room.  We have hopes of adding more medals in the future... post pregnancy of course.  Growing a human is enough work for now. 

178.

Baby J's favorite mornings are trash pick-up mornings!  He gets so excited, running to the window and watching with intensity while saying "trash!!" ("tw-aas") repeatedly.  He will press his little cheek to the glass to watch the truck for as long as possible as it heads down the street.

Last week the trash truck came a little earlier than normal and he we all were still in bed.  The noise of the truck woke him and I instead of his normal talking and knocking on the door to alert me to his presence he began crying.  I hurried into his room thinking he had hurt himself, only to find a sad little boy with tears on cheeks, pointing to the window, saying "trash?".  Realizing that he had missed his favorite part of the weekly morning routine.  We rushed and were able to catch a glimpse of the truck at the end of the road.  His disappointment pulled at my heart.  How is this kid capable of even making disappointment look so cute?!

177. Goodbye Grays :(

A year and a half ago, shortly after moving to Augusta, we joined a community group through our new church.  There we met The Grays and quickly we became friends.  These two people are genuine, caring, and fun.  They have been a great addition to our small group and are going to be missed dearly.  We wish them nothing but the best in Winston-Salem.  This isn't a goodbye, but a see you later! 
Once again I am grateful for internet and the ability it has given me to keep in touch with friends near and far.




[Photo taken at the taco bar going away party MM and I hosted; we fit 21 people and a ton of delicious Mexican food in our home.] 

176.

MM spent the afternoon detailing his car and was kind enough to give mine a quick wash too.  I fed Baby J lunch and put him down for his nap.  Minutes later MM heard a noise coming from above and  looked up at the second story window to see this little guy watching him. 

175.

We have a ghost, but don't worry he is quite friendly! 

174.

Impromptu cookie making [mini chocolate chip/peanut butter chip in the best basic dough recipe I have come across].
One would assume that the prego wanted night time baked goods, but MM was behind this indulgent.  

173. Thunder Up!

Tonight is the night, it has to be.  After an amazing season, OKC is down 1-3 in the NBA Finals.  Unfortunately due to the [what I believe to be ridiculous] 2-3-2 game schedule the thunder will have to play away for the 3rd game in a row.  Win or loss I'll be fan... but with these lucky shoes I'm betting on a win!!!

172.

Earning his keep.

171.

Road tripping is hard work. 

After a fun, extended weekend at the grandparents' house we made our way back home from Florida.

170.

 

We took Baby J on his first boat ride today.  Papaw took us up around Cumberland Island and over to see the Kings Bay submarine base.  We stopped at St. Mary's for some ice cream and to play in the park before riding back to Amelia Island.  

169. Yay for the Fathers!

Happy Father's Day!

We really enjoyed being able to celebrate father's day with Papaw and Gigi.  After attending church together, we came home to a delicious feast.  MM and I took Jase to play at the beach in the afternoon.  We ended the day with ice cream and OKC Thunder NBA finals game.  The one and only thing that could have made this day better would have been a Thunder win.

 

168. And now to celebrate

MM had to work all day on the 15th and then we made the 4 hour drive south to Fernandina Beach, FL so we celebrated my birthday on the 16th.  MM and I were granted some alone time, thanks to the great grandparents.  We visited a farmer's market downtown and enjoyed a sushi/seafood lunch.  Then we suited up and hit the beach!  It was hot, but with a great breeze making it perfect laying in the sun weather!  I can't think of a better way to celebrate than on a date with my love. 

Gigi asked me what I wanted for my special birthday dinner and she delivered a wonderful meal!  I requested fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy.  She also made fried okra and homemade bread.  The bebe in the belly has been giving me some comfort food cravings and this meal hit the spot!  Gigi also teamed up with MM to discover my favorite dessert- homemade cheesecake! 
 Happy Birthday to me!!! 

167. It's my birfday!

This is the one and only photo that was taken on my actual birthday.  I was surprised by lovely and edible gift from La Bonbonniere ; a Belgium chocolate shop in Augusta that I have heard rave reviews about since moving here, but had yet to experience their treats.  These might be the best European chocolates I have had in the United States!  Incredible!


Due to Baby J's nap time falling mid-day, going out to lunch is nearly impossible so a couple girlfriends treated me to a breakfast out instead.  I didn't hold back and enjoyed sausage, eggs, and french toast!  Girls birthday breakfast was my photo-of-the-day plan, but I was too distracted by yummy food and good conversation to be bothered with snapping photos.

Thanks to everyone who made my 29th birthday a great one!  I'm looking forward to a wonderful year! 

 

166.

Chocolate surprises might just be the best kind.  These juicy, sweet, decadent, chocolate-covered-strawberries were delivered to my door as a birthday surprise from my very favorite Lizbo!  The best gifts are the unexpected.  This one really warmed my heart and made my stomach smile.      

165.

First attempt at making my own pesto.  Used fresh basil from a friend's garden mixed with nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, and of course olio d'oliva. 

164.

Our big boy now faces forward while riding in the car.  It's emotional to watch so many milestones are being reached as our baby grows more and more into toddlerhood.  

163. Bebe Due

The next family addition is due to arrive on New Years Day 2013!  We are so very excited at the upcoming adventure of raising 2 babies.  Before we started a family MM and I both knew we wanted our child(ren) to have at least one sibling and now that wish is coming true. 
We have attempted to explain the news to Baby J, but the information is going over his head.  In 7 more months his little world will be turned upside down and enhanced more than he could imagine.
I'm excited to find out if I am growing a little brother or sister.  Either way, I know I am growing a blessing of love! 

162.

I enjoyed a pretty perfect Sunday.
First, church service at Quest where our Pastor is in the middle of a series focused on religious, cultural, and biblical questions presented by our congregation.  It is fascinating.
Second, while MM played keyboards in the band for all 3 worship services, I joined some of our church friends for brunch at Panera.
Third, little man and I came home for some lunch and nap- which I indulged in as well, getting in a nice hour long snooze.
Fourth, I treated myself to a pedicure.  It had been quite a while since I received one, I think I might have been pregnant with Baby J the last time I had one.  Actually I am pretty positive about that because this was my first one in Georgia and we have lived here a year and half already.  Wow, no wonder the lady scrubbed on me for so long.
Fifth, MM suggested we skip cooking and have an impromptu dinner out.  This isn't normal for us for multiple reasons.  The biggest reasons being that we budget our monthly finances and that our precious little baby is still as precious as ever, but is also a busy and loud 20 month old that can make restaurants quite an embarrassing challenge.  We kept him busy with bites and were able to enjoy The Macaroni Grill.
Like I said, I enjoyed a pretty perfect Sunday.    

161.

Enjoying some playground fun at the Fort Gordon park. 

160.

Baby J and MM enjoying The Quest Band pool party. 

159.

"Mom, a couple more minutes; I am just finishing up my dissertation on the many reasons why I believe I should not have to take a nap." 

158.

This little fishy loves bath time!

157.

Trying desperately to summon warm, sunshiny, June weather by curling up with a good book poolside.  Instead I got random spitting rain and cold winds- hence the towel as a blanket.  Hopefully these tropical storms will clear up soon.  Despite the imperfect weather, I still made sure to enjoy my 45 minute adult break in the day. 

156.

Blogger is being uber-annoying and will not upload this photo correctly, so I suppose I will have to leave it vertical even though it is driving me insane.  

We had a simple and yet wonderful dinner tonight, inspired by our airport lunch while flying back to Georgia.  MM made his famous guacamole; it's a lot of work but well worth the effort.  We paired the gauc with chicken, bacon, cheese nachos.  I am aware that this meal screams health nuts!  ;)   

155. Big Boy Bed

Baby J recently shocked us by climbing out of his crib while we thought he was napping.  That evening we converted his bed to the toddler setting, with a small guard rail instead of a full side.  The transition in the evenings has been surprisingly easy.  He settles down quickly and stays in bed, falling asleep quickly.  Nap time is a completely different story.  He currently thinks it's a really fun game to climb out of bed and have momma put him back in.  Daddy has been lucky enough to be at work each day and has yet to experience the joy of hour long nap time battles.  But in the end, momma wins- as she always plans to- and baby finally gets his nap.  All in all he seems pretty happy to be sleeping in a big boy bed. 

154.

We wanted to enjoy the sunshine together, but the water at the pool was especially cold today, so momma had to warm up her little guy.  

He looked so cute in his new swim gear...  Compliments of Nana!   

153.

My buddy, partner, friend, playmate, entertainment, teacher, cuddler, mood-enhancer, and son.  

I love this boy more than he can understand.