Crunch time…a three week catch up in one blog

Posted on November 21, 2011 by carly

Few things cause me more anxiety than falling behind on the blog. This statement will probably result in an eye roll from my faithful blog reading family, who remind me all to often that I don’t blog near enough. Truth is, life is pretty good if my biggest stress is not finding the time to record our daily (and in this case weekly) activities.

Things have been busy. Between the holiday rush at Petey Pie’s, five birthday parties and a baby shower, a trip to Athens to cheer on the dawgs, a week without G, school activities, and a trip down south for our annual Thanksgiving gathering, we have been on the go. And because we are about to be on the go again, I’ve got some serious catching up to do! Here’s a look back at the last three weeks…

A few weeks ago, we celebrated three birthday parties and a baby shower in one day. That same day, Juju Bea ran her first half marathon in Savannah!

Ali’s 5th princess tea party

John David’s first backyard BBQ birthday

Emery and Brayden’s Drive In Theater celebration

The weekend after our birthday party extravaganza was spent in Athens cheering on the Dawgs to a BIG victory against the Auburn Tigers!!!

We headed back home early Sunday morning so that we could get ready for MR’s final cheerleading practice. MR was thrilled that Aunt B, Danny, and Gran C were there to see her get her first trophy.

G flew out on Monday for the week. Lucky for me, Gran C stuck around for the day to attend MR’s Thanksgiving feast at school.

G returned home late Friday night. Six hours later, we were on the go again ….more to come on our annual Thanksgiving gathering at Trinity Oaks Farm tomorrow!

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Halloween Happenings

Posted on November 2, 2011 by carly

I know I say this every year about every holiday, but this was definitely the BEST Halloween yet! The festivities started on Thursday with MR’s classroom Harvest party.

After school, we made leave ghosts and homemade cookies to pass out to our neighbors and friends.

The fun continued on Saturday with a Halloween theme birthday party for MR’s best buddy, Morgan.

It didn’t take Huttie long to get over his dislike of the lion costume. As soon as he realized that the costume meant that he got to go outside, he was begging to put it on.

On Sunday, the kids got dressed up again for Tailgate Treats at out church. G and MR spent the afternoon washing the car so that we could decorate it for the event.

While I’m quite certain that we had one of the cleanest cars in the parking lot, we unfortunately underestimated the amount of candy that we needed and ran out within the first 20 minutes. Talk about embarrassing! Thankfully we got bailed out by several sweet mamas.

On Monday, we joined our neighbor and her two grandchildren to trick or treat around the neighborhood. Aunt and Uncle B also joined us!

In true Harvey fashion, we carved the pumpkin just minutes before heading out the door to trick or treat. By the looks of these pictures (and my over-sized blouse), I dressed up as an expectant mama. Promise that I’m NOT.

After filling up our buckets, we headed home to relieve Uncle B from his front door duties. MR, fearing that we would run out of candy again, sweetly poured all of her Halloween loot in the candy bowl to share with others. She stayed up until way past her bedtime passing out candy to the few trick-or-treaters that came our way. Such sweet memories for the best Halloween yet!

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Thirty Two

Posted on October 21, 2011 by carly

If you were to ask me how old I am, I’d probably tell you 30. Not because I want to hide my real age, but because I have a hard time remembering that I’ve had two birthdays since 30. Age has never meant much to me. I’m not one to dread my birthday, and I’ve certainty come to terms with the fact that another year means a few extra pounds around my mid section and the appearance of crows feet around my eyes…

I’m a big believer that with age comes wisdom and the ability to count each of your blessings; big and small. This birthday, I vowed to take it all in. To not get caught up in the mounds of laundry, the never ending to do list, or the stress that comes with being a wife, a mom, a bus driver, a maid, and a professional errand runner.

I took it all in in style with a surprise “no kids” lunch in midtown (thanks to Garrett and Hannah), a cold beer at noon, and a burger and onion rings at Five Napkin. I laughed and held hands with G. We talked about how much had changed since first meeting 9 years ago. Remembered the excitement that came when we found out we were pregnant with MR and Huttie. Talked about the future. Shared a salty caramel milk shake and enjoyed being outside. It was as perfect as perfect could get! And even though I’d take the small things over the big ones any day, I have to admit my surprise when G told me that he had gotten me the watch that I had been begging for the last several years. Thirty two looks pretty good, wrinkles, tight jeans, and all…

Even though we ate 10 ounce burgers on Saturday, we opted for a “traditional Mexican birthday” lunch after church on Sunday. After all, it ain’t a birthday in our household until you’ve worn the La Parilla sombrero!

The kids have been spending so much time outside lately. The both love playing in the sandbox. In the past, I would leave the kids outdoors and go about my chores in the house. That all ended when I noticed Huttie climbing the ladder to get to the playhouse. These sweet little boys sure know how to work their mamas….33 may mean gray if he doesn’t slow down.


Each year, its kinda a tradition to do a solo “if I turn up missing picture”. Here’s mine from 32. This picture was taken on Thursday night before heading out with an awesome group of girls to the Chicken and the Egg. The night was way overdue and so much fun!

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Burts pumpkin patch, cheerleading, and a bbq

Posted on October 14, 2011 by carly

You can’t do fall without a trip to the pumpkin patch. Last Saturday we drove up to the north Georgia mountains to visit Burt’s.

Apparently, we weren’t the only ones with the idea.

Even though we had a picnic lunch before venturing inside the farm,

we couldn’t resist stopping by the concession stand and waiting in line for a homemade apple pie, popcorn, and blue icee.

With full bellies, we searched high and low for the perfect pumpkin.

We searched and searched and almost found the perfect pumpkin, until we were distracted by laughter from the nearby hay ride. A hay ride that had a line that put the concession stand line to shame.

We waited. And waited. And when it was our turn, we rode. And rode. And rode. I didn’t think we would ever make it back. But when we did, we said goodbye without mentioning the fact that we had yet to pick out a pumpkin.

After all, we drove an hour and half up north for the homemade apple pies, not the pumpkins. And plus, we had to rest up for  cheerleading on Sunday. Sunday was picture day for the “pinks”. The backdrop reminded me of something that would be hanging in a Sears portrait studio.

After cheerleading, we headed to a friends house to eat smoked BBQ and ribs.

The meal was almost enough to convince me to buy G a Big Green Egg for Christmas. It was every bit as good as it looked. Party manners prohibited me for going back for seconds and thirds.

Unfortunately, party manners did not prohibit MR from picking the pumpkin that our sweet friends were growing in their garden. I guess she hadn’t come to terms with the fact that we left empty handed at Burt’s…

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A long, busy recap

Posted on October 7, 2011 by carly

I promised G that we would slow down once we got done with MR and Huttie’s birthday celebration. I promised him home cooked meals. Less Petey Pie’s. And more time sitting on the couch. I lied. Not intentionally; it just sorta happened….

The weekend after the big birthday bash, we headed down south to St. Simons Island to celebrate another birthday. This time we were celebrating Uncle Jimmy’s sixtieth, and while the only animals at this party were four kids under four, there was definitely plenty of food and fun. If you’ve ever been fortunate enough to attend a gathering put on by Aunt Diane, you know that she pulls out all of the stops! She’s one of the few that will drop everything to make you a toasted piece of pound cake smothered with peanut butter.

We returned home late Sunday evening exhausted and five pounds heavier from our weekend of fun. Running on fumes, we knew we better rest up for MR’s “real birthday” on Monday.

MR politely reminded us throughout the day that it was “ok that we forgot to get her a present for her real birthday.” Apparently she thought the big party we planned a few weeks earlier was a “practice party”. Thankfully, we had a trip to the North Georgia State Fair to look forward to. This year we joined our friends Jamie and Ryan and their girls Ali and Rhodes.


This would be MR’s third trip to the fair and Huttie’s second. Hard to believe how much the birthday girl has grown since her first visit two years ago…

Wednesday night was the usual–choir practice for MR and family music for Hutson. G bravely took the kids so that I could stay home to catch up on Petey Pie orders. The fact that he didn’t utter a single complaint, despite being the only male in a room of a dozen or so mamas and toddlers, confirms that I married one hell of a man.

His efforts were rewarded on Thursday night with a babysitter and night out with Hannah and Brantley for drinks and music at the Botanical Gardens. The best part of the night was finding out that we will have a NEPHEW joining the family in February! Hannah baked this sweet little cake to reveal the baby’s gender.

On Friday we hit the road again to spend the weekend with “Grance” and “Bigs” (formally known as Gran C and Big Daddy). Much like her mama, MR has adopted a love for nicknames. Friday evening was spent enjoying perfect weather and pizza in downtown Athens.

We spent much of Saturday cheering on the dawgs at the Harvey tailgate. Thanks to Big Daddy and Gran C, the kids stayed behind so that G and I could enjoy our first football game of the season.


We had more baby fun at the tailgate…Hannah brought a box filled with blue Hershey’s Kisses to reveal the baby’s gender to the rest of the Harvey’s. Kristen (holding the box) is also due with a little boy; her and Hannah share the same due date!

With a big bulldawg win behind us, G and I officially declared the next two weekends to be spent at home with nothing to do. We’ll see how long that lasts. After all, this is the time of year where Halloween runs into Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving runs into Christmas…Time sure does fly when you’re having fun!

Notes: Hutson officially became a true walker after the big birthday bash. Just as I suspected, he went from crawling to running. He loves trucks and balls. He continues to smiles constantly and still loves to be held. Mary Reese adores her little brother and spends much of her time managing him. If he gets hurt, she’s usually the first to his aide with a big hug and a good ol’ southern ,”bless your heart sweet boy”. MR loves school. She also loves being the “tallest in her class”. I’m willing to bet she would also win the award for “most talkative”. Her mouth runs nonstop; we are constantly amazed at her growing vocabulary. With age, we are seeing that our sweet girl is internally motivated. She operates on her own watch, which means that we occasionally butt heads. Nevertheless, sweet MR keeps us all in check!

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Big Daddy’s Birthday Celebration on the coast

Posted on September 20, 2011 by carly

A few weeks ago, we headed down south to the coast of Georgia to celebrate Big Daddy’s birthday. The trip is an annual tradition and while the adults still outnumber the kids, it’s clear that these five rule the roost.

Especially the oldest two who are inseparable from the moment they see each other.

Seeing the cousins together is definitely one of the highlights of the trip. Seeing how dirty they get is another.

There is always plenty of food.

And boat rides too.

When Saturday rolls around, you can bet on someone setting up a TV outside to watch college football. And regardless of how the Bulldawgs play, you can also bet on seeing lots of red and black.

There are countless trips down to the dock.

Afternoons spent playing in the pool.

And endless rides on the golf cart around Jacks Bluff.

Every now and then we’ll make a trip to the big city of Darien,

but mostly we just sit and look at this…

When the time comes to say goodbye, we’ll start the countdown to next years gathering and thank God for all of the memories that we share on the Georgia coast.

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MR and Hutson’s good ole country fair party

Posted on September 19, 2011 by carly

Few things excite me more than perfect fall weather, lots of precious kids, and a yard full of animals. Because I’m a sucker for the little details, here’s the low down of MR and Hutson’s good ole country throwdown….

We celebrated Hutson’s first birthday and MR’s upcoming fourth birthday with 83 guests

and twenty five animals, including a duck who laid a beautiful blue egg and a rooster who loves to have his picture taken on your head. There were also goats, bunnies,  chickens, a pony, a pig, and a sheep. The bunnies were the favorite amongst the kids.


We served Krispy Kreme doughnuts, mini homemade apple pies, pigs in a blanket, muffins, Big Daddy’s boiled peanuts, watermelon, and chocolate cake.

When the animals left, the kids played rope a pony (Papa Joe and G made the saw horse pony the night before) and bean bag toss. They also made buckaroo badges at a craft table.

The photo booth was one of my favorite details.




MR nearly cried when the last guest left. She later said that she would trade all of this…

for a yard full of friends, bunnies, marshmallows, and a bucket of Big Daddy’s boiled peanuts. I was tempted to make her wish come true once I realized how many thank you cards we were going to have to write:)

Here are a few more pictures from MR and Hutson’s special day! A big thanks to all of our guests for making the morning so memorable!

Posted in Hutson, family, mary reese, memories, milestones | 4 Comments

Last week

Posted on September 1, 2011 by carly

The last week or so has kinda looked like this…

fast and furious.

Toys everywhere.

An on-the-go one year old who is happy one minute and pitching a fit the next.

And a silly three year old who is ready to bust with excitement at the start of the school year.

In the midst of it all, is a mama who can’t seem to write fast enough to record all of the activities that we have planned. MR has school, there are classroom responsibilities, Wednesday night supper, choir for MR, family music for Hutson, meetings and activities with the nursery guild, ballet, and cheer-leading….My list pales in comparison to others, but the thought of signing our lives away to activities kinda makes me feel the need to self medicate. Which is why my house will continue to stay stocked with beer, Cheetos, and Lucky Charms…

And if we’re lucky, G and I will add a few more thing to the calendar just for us. Like date nights. Movie nights. And nights out with friends. Last Saturday, we did just that. Gran C and Big Daddy came into town to watch the kids so G and I could celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary. Dinner for two at Eclipse di Luna and a surprise pair of Frye riding boots made for the perfect night! I posted this on facebook, but it’s worth posting again…7 years later, we’re still having fun. I married a man who makes me laugh, lets me vent, and spoils me rotten. He’s a great listener and an even better daddy. As my mama would say, “I married up.” For the record, my mama married up too. Few men would agree to a game of dressup. And even fewer would agree to having their picture taken in this getup.

Thank the good Lord above for busy schedules, sweet, growing kids, back to school, time with grandparents, anniversaries, mornings on the front porch, and a taste of cooler weather. For each of the things, I am reminded to not get too busy to count my blessings!

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