Andrew discovers one of Jay's trucks..

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! I present to you our neighbors...

Some of you who read my blog have been to our place in the Atlanta burbs, and some of you have not, needless to say I thought it was time to share with all a picture of our neighbors to the southwest of us. Yes, your eyes are correct, IT IS a castle, the property borders the back corner of our lot and is visible from the upstairs back windows. Jay seems to think the cast the crew of the show 'Dragontales' lives here, but I have yet to see Zack and Weezie appear from this structure. We have never met the people who live here, but have been told that it is a somewhat elderly gentleman who built this "dream home" for his wife, who also still lives here. There is a moat surrounding the castle that serves as the pool and the garage doors are the bridges that come down over the moat. I have seen cars inside the garage in the rear and people do occassionally emerge from the castle to sit on various benches peppered about the property. The castle is complete with gnomes and a mini "poolhouse castle" not visible in this photo. To us it serves as a landmark to tell people where we live, even far north in the land of the burbs, everyone we have talked to about this castle knows it and exactly where we are located. You can just imagine how many cars we see pull over to see the castle, take pictures of the castle, etc. Our favorite was one night last summer a wedding reception was held on the far lawn, we benefitted by listening to a live band from our back porch. And so it seems, fairy tales do come true just once in a while... who knew.

This and That

Landon and Tyson Mittrucker with Jay on the front porch of the Rhodes Lakehouse.

Me and the boys enjoying the boat ride!
Jay had a credit at Toys R Us - this is what he chose to buy....

Scott being a daredevil with Landon Mittrucker - we were at the lake after a day of rain, the water was FREEZING and we were out in the boat early on a Sunday morning - but you know Scott, he has "to do" a lake activity!

What a Smile Andrew!

It's been a while since my last post! We are now in full fall mode here in Atlanta, the weather is cooler and we are blessed with bright, sunny days - FINALLY! Jay is in preschool 2 days a week and attends a SportsTyke class 1 day a week. This year, he is staying 1 extra hour at preschool for Lunch Bunch! He loves taking his lunch box to school and it gives me some extra time to do errands. At home our mission is potty training - WOW - what a chore! I say we are about 75% to potty independence. We are working hard on this - hopefully he will be trained completely by Christmas.

Andrew is Mr. Little Independent. For a while now, he has been feeding himself and wants to walk so badly - he is on the move and loves to play with all of Jay's precious match box cars. Jay gets very mad when Andrew moves in on his toys, so the sibling rivalry has begun! A few weeks ago, Andrew chipped his front tooth - just in time for Halloween! He's now our little vampire! The doctor says all is ok, but that it might fall out earlier than the others.

Here are some pics of the boys and with Landon and Tyson Mittrucker at the Rhodes family lake house a few weeks ago. Enjoy!

Jay's 3rd Birthday!

Well, it's hard to believe Jay turned 3 years old August 28! The years are flying by. We celebrated at home the night of his birthday and on Sunday, August 30 we threw him a party at Play! Activity Center here in Roswell. Play! is a gym decked out with a full trampoline, foam pit, jumpy fort, slides, and lots of space to run around like crazy. Party helpers gathered the children together and led them through a few organized activities - it was fun watching the kids interact and listen to a higher authority! Jay had friends from playdates, school, and the neighborhood - all in all, there were 13 kids ranging from age 1 to 4 celebrating with Jay - we topped it off with a "Cars" Disney cake, chocolate chip cookies, goldfish, juice, and more presents at home. It's safe to say Jay had a great birthday and is enjoying his new collection of toys! Thank you friends and family for making Jay's 3rd birthday spectacular! Enjoy!! xo mgm

The Party!!!

August 28 - Jay is three! Yippee!

Jay giddy to be turning 3!

Dad is just as excited to open the presents!
Shark Island - a big hit!
Scott bought Jay a bike - the Marcille men
putting it together...

Andrew.... he can't wait to play with all of Jay's new toys!

Camp Fisher 2009!

It is so hard to believe that summer is almost officially over! We just returned from our last trip of the summer season, the Kentzel/Marcille family reunion in Columbus, Indiana - affectionately nicknamed Camp Fisher, in honor of Gretchen and Steve Fisher, Scott's aunt and uncle and our hosts for the weekend. As usual, the atmosphere was laid back and easygoing - perfect for relaxing out by the dock. Jay enjoyed himself more than anyone else - he went kayaking with Dad, swimming with Aunt Traci, fishing with Uncle Steve, boating with everyone else, and plenty of time to do just about anything else a boy can do at a lake house! Uncle Steve was sweet and let Jay follow him around one day as he did odds and ends around the house in preparation for our family dinner and concert Friday night by a band auditioning for cousin Brett and Nicci's wedding next June. The bongo drums and acoustic guitar were a hit with little Andrew! Most importantly, it was a wonderful time to celebrate Scott's mom's recovery from a stem cell transplant she underwent eariler this summer to treat multiple myeloma - a rare blood cancer. She looks GREAT! Her energy level is bouncing back extremely well. It was so wonderful seeing her reunited with her mother, 2 sisters, husband, children, and grandchildren enjoying a much needed relaxing vacation. We love you Donna! Enjoy the slide show!