Aunt Kelly's wedding

We've had a busy summer with lots of fun things going on!  One of most fun was being a part of Aunt Kelly (aka Jamie's sister) and JP's wedding!  It was such a fun weekend, and a great celebration of the start of a new family.  Even Hammond got to be a part of it all.  

Here are a few photos from the weekend - 

the rehearsal

the bride & groom!

the beautiful bride with the nieces and nephews

some of our favorite friends

and my very favorite guy

the Hargather/Hayes kids

and of course one picture with the adorable ring bearer!

Mr. and Mrs. Wills

This weekend we got to celebrate my sister's wedding in Augusta.  It was a whirlwind, and I'd be lying if I told you I am not exhausted this week.  But it was so fun!  And I love seeing her and Bob so happy.  We're recovering nicely tho, and here are a few photos from the whole weekend.  

H-man and I got there Wednesday night so we had plenty of time to hang

out.  Here is he "playing" with Maverick.  

Thursday night was a welcome party (supper in the garden) for everyone

who was in town.  It was absolutely beautiful.  These are Bob's parents with Jamie....

and let me tell you....they are ready for grandkids!!  :)

sisters

bridesmaids at the luncheon on Friday

the bride channeling Kate Middleton at the rehearsal...isn't she beautiful?

soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. Wills at the rehearsal dinner...

Lucie (and Joe) did a fabulous job!

the big day!!  Hammond and daddy hanging out under the tent in the backyard

somehow i managed not to feed him one meal this day :)  the bride

insisted.  and she was...well, the bride.  how do you argue? 

bridesmaids getting ready at a friend's home

the bride with the twins.  she was absolutely stunning!

there really is nothing like a backyard reception

(I can't wait to direct you to Anne's photos...she gets way more into the details!

and if you know my sister, you know there were lots of details!)

the gifts

hammond with the ladies.  i was terrified he was going to spit up on Robin Anne

while she was holding him.  but, again, she insisted.  and again, she was the bride!

I didn't take Hammond down to the reception at all (I know, I'm one of those moms,

but I knew we'd get caught talking to everyone...there were 700 ppl there...and the 

little guy was worn out.)  But we did let some of our friends sneak up to see him.

Here he is entertaining some of them.  Daddy is the BEST at making him laugh. 

It really was a perfect night.  

Post-wedding day brunch on Sunday with all 75+ of our family.  So fun

to recap stories (I'll have to tell you about the one with the guy in the bed...yeah...

a guy ended up in one of my parent's bedrooms...passed out...under the covers.)

As soon as Anne posts more pictures, I'll send you to her site.  She's amazingly talented, and it was so beautiful!  

We couldn't be more excited for Mr. and Mrs. Wills!  (Or more jealous as they're sipping on fruity drinks looking out over the ocean of Antigua right now.  Ahhh.)

the final countdown

My sister, Robin Anne, is getting married in TWO weeks!  We are so excited, and can't wait to celebrate her and Bob in Augusta.  This past weekend, I spent my first full day (and two nights!) away from my sweet boy...to celebrate Robin Anne's chill lake-style bachelorette weekend.

the beautiful bride-to-be

last hurrah for mrs. wills :)

sisters

fun game of catch phrase on the dock

the super competitive bride

bride and the MOH

Jamie was a rockstar dad - with a little help from his mama and sister - and kept Hammond at home.  They managed just fine without mama, but although the weekend was lots of fun, I was happy to get home to all of my guys.

weekend starts today!

I'm taking tomorrow off to travel down to Dublin, GA, and here are some of the things I'm most excited about!

1 - The MOST exciting thing will be celebrating Shellie and Jose as they tie the knot this weekend.  The more time that passes, the more confident I am that, other than the gift of His Son, marriage is the greatest earthly gift God gives us.  Plus, she'll be an absolutely stunning bride.  Oh, and we love her family, and it's certain to be a fun time. :)

      

2 - The bridesmaids' dresses are this lovely color (or somewhat close to it).  Does that not just get you in the fall mood?  

 3 - The bridesmaids' dresses look like this (except in above color).  Thank you, Shellie, for choosing an empire waist...even tho you didn't know I'd have a growing belly by your wedding!  It makes this preggo feel and look so much better (since that's really what it's all about...).

4 - Have I mentioned that Shellie's getting married?!  Shellie and I met in grad school and became instant friends.  Then we ended up living together for a season at the Terrace.  She has been such a blessing to me, and in my opinion, there's not much better than watching your friends fall in love.

 5 - I found a super affordable dress, in the adorable houndstooth fabric featured below, that I plan on wearing to the rehearsal dinner.  It's a great cut, and in my opinion, showcases my better features at the moment.  (Once again, being vain.  I apologize.)

6 - I get to hang out with these girls!  All but Leah (Shellie's cousin on the far left) were in a small group the first year we were living in Atlanta.  They were so instrumental during that time, and Shellie's wedding (+ festivities) have given us a great excuse to see more of each other!

And just a few more reasons...
- The weather's supposed to be perfect!
- We're staying in a hotel room.  It's the La Quinta Dublin, but it doesn't matter.  Whenever Jamie and I stay at a hotel, I feel like we're on vacation. :)
- Good food. 
- Dancing.
- Scout's #1 reason he's excited for the weekend: He gets to hang out with his cousins, Gabby + Bailey, and play all weekend at Gma Sue Sue's!  

Hope you enjoy your weekend, too!

big year

Well, turns out it's going to be an even bigger year for the Allen family than we had originally thought.  Looks like Baby Hargather will arrive a little over 2 months before my younger sister gets MARRIED!  Robin Anne and Bob are engaged!  

Bob planned the whole thing out for this past weekend, and waited to tell the family until early last week!  So, while we were off in NY, she was getting engaged.  Knowing that I couldn't wait to go celebrate with her, I planned a little surprise trip for as soon as possible (which happened to be Monday night).  

the bling and the baby bump

the beautiful Bride-to-be!

Lots of fun in store these next few months as we prepare for baby and for a wedding!

eating our way through Rochester

Thanks so much for all the sweet words about the lil' baby in my belly!  We are really so excited, and I am SO happy that we can finally let the world know!  I've got lots of pictures, etc to come, but thought that today I should tell you about the way we ate our way through Rochester, NY this past weekend. :)

Of course the main event was cousin Dan and Laura's wedding, but we managed to turn it into one big eating-fest while we were there.  Met lots of cousins that I hadn't until now, and we had such a blast with all of the Hargather family!  They remind me so much of my extended family...I just wish we could see them more often.  

Forgot my real camera, so here's a glimpse of the wknd through my iPhone pics.  

Jamie and precious Ollie, one of my favorite lil' kids!

J got lots of daddy practice this weekend, and he was amazing!

Jamie's cousin Shawn (red shirt) owns General Hoock's, which is a one man

show with some of the best (and heftiest) breakfast food I've had 

Kelly and our first course, French Toast + Bacom

Jamie and I with the main meal, a breakfast sandwich monstrosity

(eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, cheeses, french bread, and a meat sauce) 

J + Kelly at the bar area of General Hoock's 

the newlyweds!

70 mini pies that sweet Aunt Debi made...yum!

first dance...Mr. and Mrs. Dan Hoock

Jamie and Ollie

our final meal on Sunday afternoon after church with all of the family;

then we all played PIG (card game similar to Spoons)

By the end of the weekend, you had to roll us onto the plane, but it was such a fun trip! Hope it's not too long til we get to see the Rochester cousins again!

bells

Ever wish you could be two places at once? There is so much good going on this weekend, that I think I'd like to be more than just two places! But, such is life, (and we're super excited about our trip north!), but I wanted to share two awesome sets of couples that are gettin' HITCHED on Saturday!

First up, the fabulous Devon Pasquariello and fiance, Ryan McGinnis. Devon is a former co-worker, but in the process of working together for a few years became a dear, close friend. She moved to Indy a few years ago so that she and Ryan could live in the same town, but she's coming back to GA (one of my favorite cities, Athens, to be exact) to let the wedding bells ring. Devon is one of the most laid-back people I know, with one of the biggest hearts as well. Those are just two of the reasons I wish we could be there to celebrate with them this weekend (oh, and also because she's going to be one amazingly beautiful bride!). So grateful I could soak up some quality time with you yesterday, Devon! Congrats, you two.

love this photo of Ryan and Devon

Next up, the GA Hargathers are traveling up north to join the Rochester, NY Hargathers in celebrating Dan and Laura's wedding weekend! I'm super excited about this trip, because these are some of J's relatives that I've spent the least time with (but enjoy so much!). We leave bright and early Friday morning, and arrive to even cooler temperatures than what Georgia is having now. These guys are so much fun, but even better than that, they are some of the most amazingly solid believers that we know. It's going to be such a rich weekend. :) Really excited to spend some quality time with them all, and spend Saturday celebrating this beautiful couple...

Cousin Dan, and soon-to-be cousin Laura