Pumpkins and (Grand)Parents

October always turns out just as wild and crazy as September, even though it's officially a "break" from all the events of our most fun and full month of the year.  October means Fall Fests, pumpkin patches, and - this year - a quick visit from the grandparents!  

Grammy and Gran Gran came and spent the week with us (before going and living their best retired life, eating and drinking across Savannah).  They got to do a school drop offs, lots of puzzles and activities, see the progress on our farm, and cook.  Since I got sick with a bad cold, they also provided an extra set of hands, which was so appreciated.

Grammy got to go with us to the pumpkin patch at our favorite local place, Green Acres Farm.  We went with the Vyas ladies (minus the babe) and had a blast.  Still a little warm (Middle Georgia Falls are not that cool) with lots of sunshine.

(Gotta throw this one in for comparison - same sign 3 years ago!! Obviously Wesley has grown, but refused to cooperate in my request to "stand up tall!")

Okay, back to 2021...

What a fun time ! I'm so glad Grammy could go with us.  And so glad that we got at least one group picture. Even if, once again, blondie refused to participate. :)

Now, Gran Gran had a lot of fun during the week, too.  Enda is especially blue now after they go home (she loves him!)

We are so blessed with this time together!  Can't wait until we all get to see each other again.  

End of an (Atlanta) Era

Last month we sold our Atlanta condo. We no longer have a residence on Pharr Court South, a place James has lived in for nearly 20 years and our first "home" together after we got married in 2009.  So many fun memories there from the early days of our marriage, and then again after we stopped renting it and started using again for our Atlanta weekends in 2016.  The fact our kids knew and loved the condo made it extra special....and also extra hard to say goodbye to!  However, we both feel very at peace with the decision and the sale.  Time to move on from our Slaton Manor era.  

We packed and moved on what happened to be our 12th wedding anniversary - which led to some good pictures! I managed to dig up a copy of our "crossing the threshold" picture (was it even digital? I can't recall!) and so we got to grab some comparison pics with the three wild-and-crazies included.  :)

I always kick myself that I don't get good photos of our homes while we're still living in them.  Usually because I believe the place is too messy!  But I find that after we move out it becomes harder and harder to remember how our homes looked.  Fortunately for the condo sale we had professional pictures taken.  It may not be how it's always looked, but this is what we lived in the last couple of years.  (And, thanks to the blog - which I started in 2010 when we still lived in the condo - I have some glimpses of it's former décor during our newlywed days.)

Quick Trip to SSI

While I had never even heard of Saint Simons before I moved to Dublin, it's become a favorite place for us to visit.  This October we visited the Island for the third time in 2021!  And this time with our Gia!  We went over the Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day holiday, and had a blast enjoying all our favorites: heated pool, fro-yo, golf cart rides, buffet at Sandcastle Cafe, parks and the pier, putt putt and fried shrimp.

We didn't go to Crab Trap like we normally do, and enjoyed fresh shrimp on the marina.  DECLIOUS!

Oh, and puzzles.  Mama enjoyed lots of solitary time hidden away in the dining room completing puzzles that she found in the cabinet.  :)

The big kids loved the one day we spent on the beach (the other day was rainy, and then our "pool day").  I've never seen the surf so wild at SSI, and these kids were there for it!  (Wesley, on the other hand, fell asleep and took a beach nap in my arms. swoon.)

We had a fantastic trip!  It went by too quickly!  Not sure when we'll get back, but we all hope soon.