Wednesday, November 6, 2013

For the love of Fall

Open windows...open doors....the smell of pumpkin zucchini muffins in my oven...cinnamon broom sticks...cozy sweaters....cool breezy afternoons... sipping on hot cider...watching my babies play in the falling leaves...
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Mama got a ladies night out....and got to hang with my long lost,  long time friend, Samantha....She moved to Alaska some time back...and on her way down to her new residence in Florida, stopped through Atlanta to hang with family and friends.
She and I met when I was in my early 20's in Atlanta. We both worked at a coffee shop in the heart of Buckhead. I met many of my current friends/acquaintances working there actually! It was one of my most favorite jobs ever. Not a lot of money, but it was my first job in Atlanta and the people I met, memories made and experiences had were priceless.
Much love to all my fellow 'Bou peeps, and two of my fav ladies Dani and Samantha (respectively)...as well as the rest of the fine folks at my fav bar The Local and our old haunt The Clermont Lounge (I think it was my last visit to the good ol Clermont, sad but true and its time lol). We ended the night at The Majestic eating burgers at 4am.
I had a blasty-blast!

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Yeah.
That happened. lol
Dont worry, Sammy was fine :)
He landed on top of a huge stuffed Hippo.
I know have a padded mat underneath!
"Telling" me about his day...wind down time after school...
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Hangin out.
Oh, yeah, sometime between the pumpkin patch adventure and halloween we buzzed sammy's long shaggy-do!
It was getting wayyyy too long. The new 'do makes him look older dont you think? Precious.
Sam loves his trucks and cars. Oh and playing hide and seek. 
He's not talking yet, but he's babbling and repeating sounds. He imitates facial expressions on top of having some of the most expressive crazy facial expressions himself, so cute and funny. He's a peek a poo master. And boy oh boy. He loves music and dancing- Sam is the first on the dance floor. The boy can get down. (Vid below)
He and Liam have been getting along more and more, they wrestle and chase each other around....and I find Sammy and Daisy having their own little baby babble convos more often, especially in the morning if they both wake up happy or after a nap. They play and interact and every so often i catch one giving hugs and/or kisses to the other. 
Daisy will yell for him from another room- Sa-Eeeee! Whe ee Sa-Eee? (Where is Sammy)  Sa-Eeeee! 
Heart melting. 
That one time Liam was done with his bath and while getting him dressed in the other room i called out to the twins- Bath time for Sam and Daisy! Thinking they would just make their way in to the bathroom and wait for me or find me in Liams room but the next thing i know i hear a PLOP, SPLASH! and find this little guy still in his diaper, swimming around! lol He was ready! 
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Fun with Sharpies ;)
Our Pumpkin Patch Adventure
I had no idea jason had such killer pumpkin carving skills! It turned out so cool! :)
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The babes were like, so not into the whole costume thing...can you tell? lol
At first glance it looked like Daisy was flicking me off! What the? haha
There's a new sheriff in town....
...His name is Liam, and he was totally diggin that cowboy hat ;)
Since Liam was a babe, we have spent every Halloween trick or treating with his cousins in their beautiful neighborhood (that gives out the bomb candy. Priorities, ya know? lol).  This year, Liam went as a Cowboy/Sheriff, Daisy was a bunny/lamb hybrid (dont ask lol), and Sam rocked big brothers Lion costume. The twins didn't really care for the costumes at first, and it didn't help that they were a bit under the weather....by the time we got to Aunt Amy's we realized Sam was burning up with a fever. Off came the costume, in order to cool him down. We decided to leave him at the house, doted on by Grandma and his auntie and uncle, while we took Liam and Daisy out. Prior to leaving the house Liam ran around...happy as can be...got his pre trick or treat jump on their big trampoline out back...
It was also nice to be able to spend a little bit of time with family. It funny, we all live in the same town but dont see each other often...life works that way sometimes i suppose.
I am amazed at how quickly kids grow up. The birds cousins are now little ladies!
Time flies.
This was Daisy's first time really trick or treating and she did great! She rocked it. Jason and I took turns walking her up to peoples doors. We tried to get her to say trick or treat which came out- Twick! And then as we walked away-Byyyyye! Little cutie.
Liam did Awesome. We've gone through many transitions this year and have had lots of ups and downs with behaviors and tantrums attributed to #1 being a kid, duh. lol I mean he just turned 4 a few months ago, and #2 being autistic which of presents some extra challenges with many things, which includes big social activities like trick or treating!
I honestly thought we would be carrying him back to the house mid meltdown for some reason or another but that didn't even come close to happening. As usual , he always surprises me, and i have to remind myself that i need to be giving him wayyyy more credit. He's a smart kid. He was totally receptive to his surroundings, checking out everyone and everything that was going on. He completely enjoyed our little outing, being pushed around in his stroller...and we didn't force trying to get him to go door to door. The few times i did try to get him to come up with us, I could tell it made him anxious and he would give a little squeal of protest. And thats ok! As long as he was having fun and enjoying being out and about with us...thats all that mattered to me. Happy Liam= happy us.
I was bummed Sammy wasn't able to come out with us...poor lil guy. He was better the next day though and got to nibble on some candy :)
All in all it was a Happy Halloween!
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Side note...
Daisy's hair is now long enough that i can put it in a pony tail. 
The cuteness. 
I cant even. :)
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Fall is my favorite time of the year!
All i want to do is bake breads and muffins and sip on hot beverages in my big mug. 
I love the way the Fall smells...fireplaces burning, there's just this cool, clean crispness to the air that is so refreshing. When we go on our walks downtown its so pretty to see the trees turning bright beautiful colors, the fallen leaves crunching underfoot.
...You linger in bed just a little longer in the mornings...snuggle closer at night.
Everything is just a bit more comfy and cozy.

Excuse me while I go warm up some Cider...

Love and light, 
A

Daisy and the delicious trees

Something about this one Little Bear episode gets him cracking up. I love his laugh!

Droppin some bathtime knowledge on ya
The 3 litttle birds  Dance Party Extravaganza


Friday, November 1, 2013

Our year with Jenny... and Happy Birthday!

Happy 18th Birthday Tay Tay!
My feeble attempts at waking the beast
 Buttery Little Biscuits
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Georgia Aquarium Adventures 
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Wanna hear a lil diddy? Here it go.
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We love and miss you Jenny!
-A