August

Well this blog post will be short so I can start writing for Lucas' SECOND birthday bash! I probably would have skipped over the first part of August, but we just did so many fun and exciting things that I couldn't ignore. I will post just the highlights of each so everyone can share in our fun!

Dinner with MiMi and Poppie after MiMi returned from Florida (with a special treat for Lucas from the World of Harry Potter)...









An impromptu play date, complete with lunch, with Boris, Olivia and Lucas. Olivia wasn't too happy about being forced into a picture with the boys acting the way they were!









A bunch of the moms in the neighborhood took the children down to Imagine It (the Children's Museum) in Atlanta. With all of the neat and fun things to do inside, they barely had time to play with each other. Lucas and I rode down with Sam and Olivia because I hate driving in Atlanta! This place was amazing with all of their activities. They could shop at a 'store', paint, milk a cow, load the food onto a conveyor belt, fish, climb in a tree house, dress up, play trains and so much more! I think the favorite thing among all the kids was pushing the shopping carts around. Lucas and Olivia were adorable playing house together! After such a fun morning, we took a break from playing (well the adults did) and ate some Chick-fil-A. Lucas felt the need for some affection so he placed his arm around Olivia while they shared a chicken nugget.
**Don't forget to close the 'Super Poke Pets' ad so you can see the pictures.** (I am trying to figure out a way to do this so you don't have to keep closing it each time)

Here are Olivia, Boris and Lucas hanging out at the pool. They made up a new game of filling up buckets of water and carrying them over to the plants to water them (hopefully we didn't kill the plants!)

One of the mom's in our group found this amazing park, Gary Pirkle Park that is completely covered and has fans, picnic tables and bathrooms! A bunch of us took our kids there for some outdoor fun without the sun and a picnic lunch afterward. Even though it was covered, all the children got so hot which is the reason most of them don't have shirts on!










This month we had a visit from my dad's brother, Uncle Roger and his family. I haven't seen my cousin in 10 years and we finally got to meet her little boy Holden who is four years old. Lucas immediately fell in love with Holden and followed him around the entire night at my parent's house. From the moment they met outside, Lucas and Holden played together all evening. It began with jumping into the sprinkler before we could undress them; Lucas had us in hysterics by putting his face into the water and running through it. Once inside, the boys played with several toys and then took a break from the toys to go jump on the bed. Later, Holden introduced Lucas to Gatorade and it has become his favorite drink ever since. After dinner, Holden showed off his very own camera, which Lucas took over almost immediately, and has now made it very clear that he wants a camera for his birthday.





























After looking through some pictures, I decided that I was majorly overdue for a haircut. GiGi, Lucas and I packed up one day and headed over to Winder to see our family there and get a hair cut from cousin Lisa. Of course a lot of planning went into this day (seeing what days GiGi was available, finding out if Uncle Sonny and Aunt Janet would be home, and then getting the hair appointment) so inevitably something would go wrong...and it showed up the day before in the form of a fever for Lucas. I wasn't worried though because after talking to Gigi, she was ready for the challenge so our day continued. First, we went to lunch with Uncle Sonny and Aunt Janet at our favorite Mexican restaurant. After lunch, I left to get my haircut and then they all went back to their house to keep Lucas entertained. Probably not the most exciting part of the day for many, but to Lucas it made a very big impression on, was when I left to get a haircut and drove Uncle Sonny's Tahoe. Now most people know and understand that beside a Jeep, a Tahoe is Luke's favorite car. He still is talking about how "Mommy dove Unc Dunnies Tahoe" and "Unc Dunny dove mommy's Nissan Rano"! We had such a good time catching up with our family and hope to do it again really soon.

Happy Birthday Grandmama!!!

This year we celebrated Grandmama's birthday up at the Smith House in Dahlonega. The whole family was there plus some good family friends, Mr. Steve and Mrs. Toni. Before dinner, we went to some of the stores off the square and did a wine tasting of some Georgia wines and a little shopping. We then headed off for some delicious southern cooking (and hoped that we would find something that picky Lucas would eat!) Dinner was fabulous as always, even without their famous strawberry shortcake. No, Lucas did not eat anything for those of you wondering! I sometimes do not know how he can survive with as little as he eats and as much energy as he has.

After hanging out in Dahlonega, Ben and I were the ones treated because Grandmama wanted to have Lucas over for a sleepover. Lucas was more than willing to ride home in Grandmama's car in between GiGi and Grandmama. I wish I could say that Ben and I did something fun and exciting, but with Lucas being sick all week and wanting only his mommy, I was exhausted and settled for a movie and some sleep. The next day, I met Grandmama, Lucas and Uncle Taylor for the switch and we all ate some lunch while Daddy stayed at home to study for an exam.

Thanks for the over night break mom and Happy Birthday!!!!

**Close the Super Poke Ad to see the narrative for the pictures**

The following week Lucas and I met GiGi at Grandmama's office for lunch. Lucas loves going to Grandmama's office because the building is full of construction vehicles that Lucas can explore. This time was no different, with the exception of possibly being more thrilled than the last visit. Lucas not only saw a forklift this time, but also men welding, a four wheeler, two jet skis, a big truck, and a tractor trailer. He was in heaven!!!!

After roaming around the building and riding on several pieces of equipment, we finally got Lucas off and headed over to Trackside Grill in Kennesaw. The food was delicious, but the wait for the food was extremely too long, especially with a busy toddler! GiGi eventually took him outside to walk around and see the train tunnel and even got to see a train go by!











So, as you can see, our family was quite busy in the first part of the month. It has been a cake walk compared to all the preparations we have been doing for Lucas' SECOND birthday. Check back soon to see how much fun Lucas had turning TWO!!