Halloween Event at Atlanta Botanical Gardens

My sister and her husband are members of the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Several weeks ago Alison informed me that the gardens would be all decked out for Halloween and hosting a parade and other kids' events (face painting, train rides, pumpkin decorating, etc.) on Sunday, October 24th. Emery and I had not been to Atlanta in over two months, which is a record for me, so we decided to head down and join Alison and Cuz for an afternoon in Piedmont Park. Gorgeous, albeit hot, weather!

Brian beat the heat by sipping on beers in the shade.

Cooling off under the mister

Emery really enjoyed playing in the sand and digging up dinosaur bones. The kids were supposed to be in costume, but with the weather being so toasty and Emery's costume consisting of a heavy felt skirt, I opted to put her in her skeleton jammies instead. Poor thing was still roasting, but at least she could move about without her bulky skirt getting in her way.

Just a tad crowded! I think 95% of Atlanta was at the park.

The Peter Rabbit exhibit was my favorite. Precious! And the garden is thriving....it's full of lettuce, eggplant, pumpkins, etc. Super cute.

Emery thought running through this tunnel again and again was way cool. I think she got a kick out of her glowing skeleton. Too bad that doesn't show up in the pictures.

This just melted my heart! Emmy and Hayes held hands (briefly) while walking along the path. Unfortunately, things deteriorated by the end of our visit when Emery refused to share her potato chips with Hayes and then pinched him when I made her relinquish a chip. Hayes became super upset and would no longer ride in the wagon with Emery. They act like brother and sister!

Emery loves this fall weather

Emery and I are trying to spend as much time as possible outdoors these days. I want to take advantage of this glorious weather after what was an unbearable summer. Just yesterday Emery had a play date in our backyard with her gymnastics buddies, Brooke and Harper, followed by shooting hoops with Daddy in the driveway. We inherited a really nice basketball goal with our new house. Obviously Emery is too little for it right now, but I have visions of her and Daddy sharing special father-daughter moments out there playing ball, just like George and Annie Banks in the best movie of all time ("Father of the Bride")!

Bobbles can dunk!

Harper and Emery taking a snack break. This little table and chair set is perfect for Emery and her little friends. Emery would rather sit at this table than in her high chair.

Emery showed off her snakes (that one is fake) and Koi

A perfect afternoon!

Brooke in car, Harper and Emery in wagon. These girls are so adorable together!

Denver Downs Farm

The month of October is just ridiculously fun. Halloween, college football, post season baseball (Go Braves!!!!) and phenomenal weather make for a fabulous month. Mix in a fun beach vacation and I'm in heaven! Just before we jetted off to Amelia Island with Ben's family, my sister, nephew, Mom and Nanny met up with Emery and me at a farm in Anderson, SC, called Denver Downs Farm. This place is spectacular for kids. We played in the corn maze, fed piggies, picked our own pumpkins, rode a cow train, raced rubber duckies, watched helicopters and just a fun-filled afternoon running around in the gorgeous October sunshine. The drive to Denver Downs is less than two hours from Atlanta and only about thirty minutes from Greenville. Definitely worth it. If you're interested, here is the web site: www.denverdownsfarm.com.

Our pumpkin haul

Fab 50's girl Emery racing her ducky

Monkey Hayes riding the bull (Alison and I wanted to get the mileage out of the kids' costumes and thought it would be cute to dress them up)

Emmy in the corn box

Hayes and Barney taking in the sights

Doesn't Bobbles look so little and cute in this picture!?!

These two are so funny together!

Amelia Island

Ben, Emery and I spent last week at Amelia Island Plantation with his family. Technically, this is a work trip for Ben, his dad and his brother. Aside from a few meetings, most of the trip is an excuse for us to all be together and have a blast! This trip was very easy....short plane rides and built-in babysitters (Grandma and Grandpa Slagel). I definitely want to get back to Amelia Island soon....what a great spot for a family vacation. All of the restaurants and resorts are extremely kid-friendly.
Dinner at the Ritz Carlton. Austin got to tour the kitchen and was given a chef's hat. Very cool.

Emery in a food coma

The kids' menu at Salt (Ritz restaurant) is delicious. Emery had chicken with pasta in alfredo sauce and Austin had filet mignon with mashed potatoes and veggies. "Petite Gourmet"

Thank goodness we had bikes and golf carts to get around the island. The ride from the airport in Jacksonville to the resort was seriously crammed.

Emery and Austin thought the outdoor shower was way cool. Next time I'll just bring her baby shampoo and her jammies with me to the beach and get her ready for bed al fresco.

Looking for shells

Found one!

Emery made a beeline for the water. The child is fearless!

Halloween party. Don't ask us what we are because we have no idea. Ben bought our costumes in the hotel gift shop the day of the party. Jerry, Korey, me and Ben.

The end!

Emery's First Fall Festival

Emery's gymnastics school, The Little Gym of Greenville, hosted a Fall Festival Friday afternoon instead of the usual open play session Emery usually attends. Although the weather felt more like summer, the Fall Festival was a blast. Emery got to mingle with Elmo (she already loves Elmo and Barney....what is so universally appealing about those two characters?), play in a bouncy house, paint a pumpkin, have her face painted, play with her friends and show Daddy all her gymnastics skills. Daddy surprised us by leaving work early and coming to the gym. He had not seen Emmy in action. Daddy was impressed!
Daddy tried to hula hoop

Face painting! Emery asked Miss Brittany to paint a four leaf clover and write "Go Irish!"

Down the slide!

Emery LOVED Elmo. I hope she is this brave with Santa Claus this year.

Emery and Dora

Emery loves to vault

Emery made a beeline for Elmo everytime she saw him. Poor Elmo almost had heat exhaustion.

Having fun in the bouncy house