Our Saturday & Quinn Goff Photography

Well we spent the day today working in our yard. Since we own a landscaping company, our yard always looks terrible compared to those nice paying customers. I somehow convinced Adam to come home and work here after I helped him on a job in the neighborhood. We have been living in our house for 3 years now and since we have lived here, there has been some ivy growing up the side of the house and we have NEVER trimmed it. At first I thought I liked it but recently I have been dying to see it go. I want a more clean look on and around the house. Well let me tell you that was a PROJECT. We are talking 3 years of ivy now growing in to our brick. It was more than difficult to remove. We got it done and trimmed all the bushes around the house and the yard is looking marvelous. I always forget to take before and after pictures of things. I'll work on that so you all can see what I am talking about.

Last Saturday Aidan and I had the pleasure of finally meeting the lovely Quinn Goff. She was a former colleague of my best friend Amanda and she has just recently started her own photography business. She needed a few people to let her take some pictures to begin building her portfolio. I was more than happy to volunteer my handsome boy to have his picture taken. We met her at a local park and took a walk while she snapped pics of my little man. Quinn was so sweet and great with Aidan! I knew I wouldn't have any trouble being comfortable around her because I basically felt like I already knew her. Well let me just tell you...she was super speedy about getting the pictures back to me and they were absolutely AMAZING! I was honestly blown away at how well they turned out. The photo session was so laid back and Aidan photographed very well. I love having pictures taken of Aidan and these were some of the best. I will most likely blow them all up and use them on a photo wall I have been planning for his new room. Not to mention, all of the grandparents are already requesting their copies. Here are some of the pictures and if you live in the Charlotte area (I am not sure if she will travel just yet) Quinn would be a great choice for your photography needs. Here is the link to her blog...quinn photography. You can contact her there!

I am almost positive this will be on the front of our Christmas card this year!


I had to put this last because it is my FAVORITE! It will be blown up HUGE somewhere in our house!

Pre School Pics

Just as promised...

Couldn't you just eat him up?? He was just precious this morning. He was so excited that he didn't even cry when I dropped him off. I cried the whole way home!!! When my mom picked him up today, they said he cried the WHOLE time! I felt sooooooo bad. His teachers are really sweet and they all reassured my mom (who reassured me) that after a couple weeks he will be just fine! He didn't even eat his yummy lunch I made him. Bless his little heart. Thanks for checking in!!! Hope everyone's kiddies had a great first week of school!

Pre School Tomm

In case, you haven't read my blog everyday this week (ha!) Aidan is FINALLY starting "pre school" tomorrow. It's really a glorified Mothers Morning Out program. His back pack is ready to go and I know exactly what I am going to pack him for lunch in the morning. I have a checklist of things to remember before we dash out the door. Don't worry taking pictures to show everyone is on the list!!! I know it seems like I am putting to much thought in to this whole deal but it's my first rodeo people. I am inexperienced in the school department. Anyways, I'll update tomorrow on how it went.

WWYCSW

Family American Style is hosting "What Would Your Child Say Wednesday" again this week and I actually just have a funny little story to tell you. Aidan is doing really well with his words and is even starting to put a couple of words together. So, the other day I had been out for a few hours and he stayed at home with Adam. When I returned from my errands and as I walked through the door, Aidan was sitting on the sofa watching a cartoon. I looked at him and said "Hey Bud". Without skipping a beat, he slid off the sofa walked up to me hugged my legs and looked up at me and said "Hey Mama". Who knew that while I was running errands he was going to go from being 2 to 12. Jeese! What a big boy he seemed to be to me in that moment. I did the only thing I knew to do in the moment and knelt down, squeezed him really tight and said "I love you my sweet big boy, you are just so smart and I'm so proud to be your Mama".

It's OK

So, it turns out Aidan will not be going to pre school tomorrow. Apparently the teachers decided there was a conflict with kids going back to school so it would be best to start on Thursday. It ended up working out perfectly for us because Aidan is still recovering from his little cold and I was starting to think sending him tomorrow wasn't the best idea anyways. It's OK. Which brings me to what I really want to say in this post.



It's OK that I am sad Aidan is starting pre school. Even if it is only for 4 hours a day, 2 days a week. He will be in school from now until he goes away to college.



It's OK that I cried when I picked up his monogrammed book bag today. I waited to do it until I got in the car. His name looked so perfect. It's his first back pack and in my book, it's a milestone. The best part...he put it right on and wore it with pride.



It's OK that I have been soaking up these last days with him. Holding him tighter and kissing him longer. Begging him for more lovin'. He isn't a baby anymore and honestly (Hootie said it best) "It Won't Be Like This For Long".



It's especially OK that I love this sweet boy so much, thinking about it makes my chest feel heavy and I get goose bumps. I HONESTLY never in a million years thought it would be possible to love anything like this.

We Are Just Days Away...

My sweet baby boy (OK he isn't EXACTLY a baby) is starting school on Tuesday!!! Tomorrow I have to shop for his school supplies and pick up his back pack that we had monogrammed. Your probably thinking school supplies for a two year old? It's a small list, I can assure you. Included though is the cutest idea...a disposable camera for them to take pictures of him while he's in school! I just think that's great. I am anxious to see how the kiddo acts when I drop him off for his first day. It's kind of a loose, loose situation because if he takes off and doesn't look back I will be heartbroken. If he holds on to my leg, while his teacher pries him off, I will still be heartbroken. Anyways, I'll let you know how it goes. Until then...enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Kelly's Korner

Kelly's Korner is hosting "Show Us Your Life Fridays" and this week we are doing baby shower ideas. I was lucky enough to have two baby showers when I was pregnant with Aidan. One given by a good family friend and the other by my mother and sister in law. Since Aidan's nursery was a "Twinkle Twinkle" theme, so were the showers. I don't have many pictures to show you, because I did not want to be photographed pregnant. AT ALL. I thought I looked terrible! Some great ideas I picked up from my own showers were...

*The "Clothesline"...this is when you take a bunch of onesies and create a clothesline with them. Mine were hung across the tops of the windows.

*Favor ideas...My sister in law made white chocolate ducks for everyone to take home and our family friend made cinnamon buns (like buns in the oven) and there was a note attached to each one that said she had made a donation to Room at the Inn (a place where single pregnant mothers can go) in honor of me. Really cute idea.

*Games I loved were trying to guess the size of the baby and the day he would be born. I did not want to do the poopie diaper guessing game with candy bars. YUCK! Also, no measuring the belly for me. I knew I was huge and didn't need to be reminded!

*Both my cakes were designed to go with the invites. So cute.

*Taking booties and joining them with a diaper pin as a corsage for the mother. I still have mine hanging in Aidan's nursery.

One of my girlfriends needs to get pregnant soon so I can throw her shower. These are some of the pictures I have stolen from the Internet (The Bump.com) to get ideas for a shower. I would love to rent a big white tent for the backyard and do it there. Since, I have gotten so accustomed to doing things for a boy...here are some of the pictures I found for a shower given for someone having one.

Isn't this the cutest cake/cupcake tower?
Love these tea light chandeliers to hang from a tent.
Hydrangeas duh!
Love this invitation
The whole turquoise theme.

I couldn't leave without showing you pics of two diaper cakes I made for friends recently. They were my first ones but they turned out so cute.