Sykes and Cooper Farm

Allow me to introduce you to my new favorite fall tradition...the pumpkin patch/corn maze/farm combo. It's basically everything wonderful about fall all wrapped up into one awesome experience...plus, adorable photo opportunities! I've been begging Jared to take me to a corn maze for years now, but he claimed that was a "family with kids" activity and that he wanted to wait until we had kids to do that sort of thing. Lame excuse. Plus, we basically never have free weekends to do stuff like this because of our season tickets to FSU Football. We've got priorities around here. However, since this was Peyton's first Halloween/Fall, I insisted that we partake in all those fun, family, fall traditions this year for her sake. Ok, so really for my sake. Alright, mostly for the sake of my camera documenting these experiences. I couldn't possibly allow myself to look back on Peyton's first Fall and not have seized the opportunity to pose for photos on the farm for heaven's sake. I mean, what kind of mother would I be if I allowed such a travesty? A sane one, perhaps.

It was about 90 degrees on this "crisp" (as in burned baked in the oven crisp) fall day, and I had to haul about 50 pounds of baby crap from the field we parked in up to the farm, but oh my goodness did I have a blast. It was all worth it to get this adorable photo of my pissed off husband, over-heated sweaty 4 month old, and myself surrounded by the goodness of fall. Happiest mommy on the block right there.

If you live in Northeast Florida, I highly recommend Sykes and Cooker Farms in Elkton (South Saint Augustine near Palatka) for this type of family fall activity. We had a great time and I can't wait to take Peyton back next year when she is actually old enough to truly enjoy it.

Of course, we dragged our entire families along with us to suffer in the heat and watch our 4 month old be completely clueless about what the heck was going on around her. I'm pretty sure that my husband is never going to forgive me for forcing him to do this. Too bad, daddy.

Daddy is a least pretending to enjoy our little outing...even if only for Peyton's sake. That's parenting right there folks. 

Because everyone needs a family photo with a tractor. Welcome to North Florida. 

Peyton loves to dance with Grandma DeeDee

 Peyton's first pumpkin!

Only grandparents would tolerate scorching heat on a farm for nothing more than a photo and an experience (that the kid won't even remember) with an infant. Grandparents are so amazing.

We accidentally started out on the kids version of the corn maze, instead of the adult one. Well that turned out to be a blessing in disguise because we totally got lost anyways. This little family with small children let us go ahead of them at the beginning of the maze and by the time we found our way out, they were already done way before us. Epic fail. Apparently, it takes more than college degrees to get you out of a kiddie corn maze successfully.

And this is why my sister-in-law and I are basically best friends...we both share a love for acting like complete idiots together. No shame. Happy Fall Y'all!

Nursery Tour

Hey, so remember back when I was pregnant and I told y'all that I would take you on a virtual tour of Peyton's nursery? Ok well, she's almost 12 weeks old so let's go ahead and do that now, mmm-kay? Presenting, Peyton's beautiful (in my biased opinion) baby girl nursery...

Peyton's nursery is basically my pride and joy. My mom and I worked really hard for months to make this the perfect space for our little girl. I absolutely love how everything turned out and this is by far my favorite room in our home...as it should be since it's the most well decorated and has the nicest furniture. Mommy obviously has priorities.

My mom and I went to this amazing baby furniture store in Atlanta called Georgia Baby to order the majority of the furniture. This store is so much better than any other baby store or furniture store I went to because it is basically a giant warehouse full of baby furniture. Most baby stores and furniture stores only have a few models actually out on the floor and everything else you can only see in a catalog. Let me tell you, buying furniture without actually ever seeing it in person is way too difficult. I loved going to Georgia Baby because they had hundreds of cribs, changing tables, etc. all out on the showroom floor where I could see and touch them all. Mom and I spent 8 hours in there trying to make decisions, but by the time we left all of the nursery furniture was ordered and on it's way!

This convertible crib is from the Enchanted collection made by Baby's Dream Furniture. 

These ruffle blackout curtains are from Pottery Barn Kids. The crib skirt is also made of this same ruffle material from PB Kids too. The floor lamp is from Jubilee lighting, and we ordered it through Georgia Baby. The cross on the wall was made by me. I searched and searched for the perfect cross for the wall, but I couldn't find one that was exactly what I wanted so I decided to make one myself. I bought two unfinished wooden crosses from Hobby Lobby. I used the white trim paint from the room to paint the big cross and the pink wall paint to paint the smaller cross. Then I layered the two crosses and hot glued them together. Voila! A custom wall cross that matches the nursery perfectly.

My awesome mother-in-law also happens to be really talented at painting walls. Therefore, I enlisted her skills in painting Peyton's nursery. I must say, the paint job in this room is far better than the paint job in the rest of our house which was done by the professionals. Go figure. It took quite a few paint samples for us to find the perfect shade of pink, but I could not be happier with the color we chose. It is the perfect hint of pink. The color is Diminutive Pink by Sherwin-Williams.

Wooden shelves handmade by Jared's dad. I love the little carved out hearts on the brackets. 

Peyton is so fancy, she gets her own private gate. This is basically the most important piece of furniture in the nursery. It's my "Sadie-you-better-stay-the-eff-out-of-here-or-die" gate. Needless to say, Peyton's room is the cleanest and most dog-hair-free room in our entire house. Thank you baby gate. I highly recommend this gate. If it can keep Sadie out, trust me, it will keep the creatures in your house out too. 

The glider is made by Little Castle, and we ordered it through Georgia Baby. I love this glider because it has a much higher back than most of the gliders out there. That makes it super comfortable for tall people like Jared and I which is why I chose this model. The pink ruffle pillow sitting on the glider is from Pottery Barn Kids. I had it monogrammed myself by a local shop. The floor rug is from The Rug Company, which we also ordered through Georgia Baby.

The little wooden bench is from Lowe's and made by good ole' Martha Stewart. The pink canvas baskets inside are from the same collection as well and come in a bunch of colors. Thanks Martha.

Peyton's crib bedding set is from Pottery Barn Kids: {Maya Floral Nursery Bedding} However, it is no longer available so good thing we bought it when we did. 

This adorable ABC print came from the Etsy shop, LucyDarlingPrints. That girl also makes the super cute little monthly stickers that I put on Peyton for her monthly photos.

This personalized toy chest came from Pottery Barn Kids: {Sabrina Toy Chest}

I am obsessed with Peyton's wall monogram. I really am super jealous and seriously want to order one for my room too. The monogram and the quatrefoil shaped frame both came from this amazing little Etsy shop, SouthernNest.

The lamp on the changing table matches the floor lamp behind the glider and is from Jubilee lighting, which we ordered through Georgia Baby.

This custom canvas wall art was hand-painted to match Peyton's bedding. It came from this Etsy shop, addilyneli. This girl will custom paint canvas to match anything you want. Just send her a picture of a fabric or decorative piece that you want her to match it to and she can paint it! She did an amazing job and I absolutely love this piece of art for the nursery!

Peyton's changing table was hand-crafted in Romania. I know, this kid has nicer furniture than I do. Ridiculous. It came from the manufacturer Romina, which makes super high quality baby furniture all made from solid wood. I love this piece and for some reason it reminds me of the enchanted chest from Beauty and the Beast which makes me love it even more.

Basically my favorite little nook for snuggling with my baby girl :)

Hope you enjoyed our tour of little Miss P's nursery!

Peyton's 1st Football Season

This weekend kicked off Peyton's very 1st football season. Peyton was technically around, just in utero, during last football season. She even went to the National Championship game! Football season is basically our favorite season here in the Roche household. It's a big deal. Especially when you are the reigning National Champs! I am most excited about spending this time of the year with Peyton, dressing her up in adorable garnet and gold outfits and teaching her how to cheer on the Noles! I can't wait to take Peyton to her first game in Doak Campbell Stadium, but that probably won't be until next year.

Last night, FSU played Oklahoma State at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Surprisingly, it was a pretty close game, but luckily the Noles pulled out a win 37-31. The win was exciting, but I'm not going to lie, my favorite part was getting Peyton all dressed up for the game. Does that make me a boring old lady? Oh well. Mommy problems.

Peyton and I just watched the game at home with Grandma DeeDee and Auntie Erika. I didn't want to mess up Peyton's bedtime routine since the game was starting so late. Therefore, the girls opted to stay home and play with Miss P while watching the game and the boys went to Ale House. My how our Gamedays sure have changed over the years. Don't worry, I enjoyed a few pumpkin beers for good measure. Some things will never change.

Peyton loved watching the game...yes, we broke the rules and let her watch the TV...but FSU games are an exception. We even taught her how to do the Chop! That game was a little too close for comfort, but thankfully we managed to squeeze out a win. I'm so excited that college football is finally back! Yesterday was wonderful and I can already feel the glorious goodness of fall in the air.

Thank you to mommy's Phi Mu little sister, Elisa, for our adorable Gameday outfit!

Peyton's new friend, Cimarron. 

Daddy's little girl loves the Seminoles too!

Peyton's says, "turn me around, I want to watch my Noles play!"

Happy Football Season and Go Noles!

My Best Friend's Wedding

Jared, Peyton and I traveled to Tallahassee this weekend to see my best friend, Casey, get married! This was Peyton's very first road trip out of town and we didn't want to go through all the hoopla of spending the night away from home with her, so we decided to just go over for the day and come back that same night. I was super nervous about traveling that far in the car with her, but it actually went pretty well. We didn't need to stop nearly as much as I thought we were going to have to and we made pretty good time. She was very well behaved during the wedding too and basically slept the entire time, so mommy had time to catch up and visit with her friends.

We had a great time celebrating Casey and Tom and the wedding was a perfect representation of them. Plus, I got to meet baby James for the first time which was super exciting. I wish them the very best as they embark on this new life journey together.

 It was great to be reunited with these amazing ladies that I'm so blessed to call my sisters. 

Peyton's first road trip to Tallahassee!

 All dolled up in our monogrammed dress for Auntie Casey's wedding!

The ceremony and reception took place at the Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy which is basically out in the woods almost to the Florida-Georgia state line. I loved it, especially with all the little rustic details that Casey used to highlight the Southern charm of the venue. I had no idea this place even existed, but it was beautiful. The perfect location for a good 'ole country wedding!

 Peyton's very first wedding and she basically slept through the entire thing. Mommy win. 

 Phi Mu love :) 

 Phi Mu sisters and now mommies together!

Peyton (1 month old), James (12 weeks old), Preston (6 months old)

Congratulations to my Phi Mu sister and very best friend. I love you. LIOB

The Players Championship

I absolutely love this time of the year here in Jacksonville. The weather is awesome and there are a lot of fun things to look forward to. Happening this weekend is one of my favorite local traditions, when Jacksonville (technically Ponte Vedra Beach) plays host to The Players Championship. I wouldn't really consider myself a golf fan and I don't really ever watch the tournaments on television, but something about watching it live is just so much more exciting. Plus, I love the whole TPC atmosphere. The course at TPC Sawgrass is beautiful and the entire tournament is simply a fun opportunity to wear a fratty outfit, drink, socialize and enjoy being up close to the best golfers in the world. TPC is just a fun experience all around...it's like the epitome of America. During this week each year, everyone in Jacksonville becomes a golf fan.

Yesterday, we spent the day at Round 1 of TPC and even at 36 weeks pregnant I had a good time. We bought passes to the Michelob Ultra Blue Room which included all you can eat food and all you can drink beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages. Plus, they had seating, private bathrooms and air conditioning which was perfect for me in my pregnant state. These passes were definitely well worth the money and I can't wait until we go back next year when I can drink, so I can really get my money's worth :)

 Jared, his sister and I enjoying a beautiful day at TPC 

 Party at the Mich Ultra Blue Room!

 TPC at 36 weeks pregnant...Peyton has already been to quite a few cool sporting events

I just had to sport my Marley Lilly monogrammed hat at the tournament to keep from getting a sunburn/tan lines before the wedding I'm in on Saturday. 

I was very excited to be able to take Erika to her very first TPC

 I hope everyone attending for the rest of the weekend enjoys their time at TPC!