Nesting

While Justin's parents (aka. the best inlaws on the planet) were in town a few weeks ago, major work was done to the condo. New landscape out front, planters out back, and anything that would hold still was pressure washed. It was a lot of hard work, especially for the guys braving the heat outdoors, but so worth it. Everything came out beautifully!

First, the plants. I would have been lost without Sherry. She knows what grows where, what needs shade or full sun, and basically everything about gardening. We went to Lowe's and (lucky me) all shrubs were 50% off. It was meant to be. So we packed the Mountaineer to the max with Chinese fringe or loropetalum, azalea, nandina, and knockout roses and headed home.

Poor Justin...he tore up EVERY last shrub in the front of the house with his bare hands, no exaggeration. It was at least 100 degrees. Then he tilled the soil, mixed in fertilizer, and planted the new shrubs around our existing sega palms that he transplanted since they are getting so large. They're beautiful.

It was a messy job but he did great. A little mulch and we had a brand new entry way. I think it looks so beautiful now but I know it will look even better when the shrubs mature a little and bloom, hopefully this spring.

Meanwhile, Cliff was in the back pressure washing the fence, the arbor, and the patio. Isn't the difference between the old and new amazing? It looked gorgeous when he finished. Then he moved around to the front and pressure washed the front of the house and the entire driveway. It was quite a job but holy smokes, made the entire place look brand new!

It wasn't all work though. We took a break that evening and grilled out. Justin showed off his master grilling skills and made stuffed burgers. It was a lot of fun. 

We have a little work left to do on the inside but the outside could not have turned out more beautifully. It still catches me off guard when I pull into the driveway. I think Baby Archie is going to be pleased to come home to such a cute and cozy place :o) Thank you so much Cliff and Sherry for all your hard work. We honestly could not have done it without you!!

Girls Weekend

7.12.12

Had a wonderful weekend with my college roomies!! Tara came into town on Thursday evening and we ate at Rita's. That night, she and Justin cracked open a bottle of wine (or two) and made for very good entertainment. :o) The next morning we ate at bagel nation before battling a tsunami to pick up Britt from the airport. Thankfully, the rain cleared up in time for us to go downtown and get a mani/pedi. It was wonderful! Then we walked the market, spent too much money, and ended up at Fleet's Landing. Really enjoyed catching up over lunch.

Then we went for a tour of the Calhoun mansion downtown. It was pretty amazing. The picture below was taken in the garden.

It's been forever since we've been together without any of the kiddos. Of course they were missed but it was great to relax and talk and have a completely selfish weekend. We registered on Saturday at Babies R Us, Pottery Barn, and Amazon. I can't tell you how helpful they were. We'd walk down the aisle and someone would hold something up with a brief, "You HAVE to get this," or "I would have died without that," and all I had to do was pick a color. It was amazing!

Aunt Britt and Tara were able to feel baby kicking :o)

Then it was our last day :o( I am so incredibly thankful to have such wonderful friends. They made the entire weekend just perfect and registering completely stress-free.

Love you girls!

Happy Birthday Papa!

So the following weekend, it was Sherry and Cliff's turn to be surprised. They were definitely on to us. Knowing how hard we'd been working on the condo, they thought it was suspicious we took a weekend off to go to Aiken. Haha!

I wanted to do something special for Cliff since this little Archie is carrying on the family name. It took over three hours and four trips to the grocery store to finish this birthday cake. Mainly because I'm a dodo and didn't bring a list to the store with me and kept forgetting things. But it was totally worth it!

I made the cake layers several different shades of blue. An idea that is popular on Pintrest. Below is the finished product.

Then, we sang happy birthday. Below is the video, just click on the picture. It is really dark in the room but the reaction is still there and so sweet. 

This was also a special weekend b/c it was the first time Justin felt baby kick. Saturday night (7/7/12) we were laying in bed and he was kicking up a storm. I'd felt him kicking a few times before but every time Justin would run over to feel, baby would stop. This time Justin only waited a minute and bump! There it was. He jerked his hand away immediately which made me laugh but he promised it didn't weird him out. Justin has felt baby moving and kicking several times since and it is always so amazing to feel. Definitely a fun part of this whole experience.

It's a Boy!

Boy oh Boy! We're tickled blue. Found out on Papa Archie's birthday, 6/23/12, that little Archie is little fella. We couldn't be happier. Justin is very excited and I can't wait to have a mama's little man. 

We went to Small Wonders Imaging in Summerville to have our sonogram. The tech was really nice and seeing our little guy was so special. It was really overwhelming and neither Justin or I said anything. We were speechless. Such a precious memory.

I promise Justin is more excited than he appears to be in this picture. Below is video of us surprising my parents with blue-balloons-in-box-reveal. It was my mom's birthday so we went home to Aiken and planned a low key cookout. My cousin, Kristina, helped get everyone there so it was a nice surprise and we really enjoyed seeing everyone. My little cousin Sadie, 6 years old, was a little disappointed. She said she was tired of being the only girl. Poor thing! Click on mom's picture below (isn't she so pretty?!?) for the video. I apologize to anyone in advance that would rather not have been video taped in sweltering 104 degree weather.

Then we went to visit my dad's mom, Granny, and brought her a bouquet of blue balloons. When I walked it she asked, "What are you holding?" I told her balloons and asked if she could see what color and she shouts, "You're having a boy!!" So sweet! She said boys were more fun and always enjoyed them. She was very happy for us. Overall, GREAT weekend! Happy birthday mom!