the maple tree in our backyard has beautiful fall leaves! this is the first year it really turned bright colors, wahoo!!!

– ryan & gub

grey was totoro for halloween this year! we were worried he wouldn’t like wearing the costume, however in the end he did not want to take it off.

– ryan & gub

we set up our jack-o-lantern tv again this year. it’s quite fun and can be re-used year after year. to make your own, just buy a super cheap tv at the thrift store, apply some painters tape on the screen for the eyes & mouth, and spray paint orange. peal off the painters tape when it’s dry and voilà, you have your very own jack-o-lantern tv! it’s a super easy fall project!

happy halloween!

– ryan & gub

the kids costumes were pretty awesome this year! gub did some fine work. grey was totoro from my neighbor totoro and clementine was princess leia. the kids have been way into the original star wars movie as of late.

– ryan & gub

we decided to take advantage of the beautiful fall morning and headed to southern belle farms for some good ol’ fashioned outdoor fall fun! in the process, we got this ginormous pumpkin, or the great pumpkin as we like to call it!

more photos from southern belle farms to come!

– ryan & gub

southern belle farms

1767 turner church road
mcDonough, georgia 30252
770-288-2582

we recently took the kiddos on another camping adventure with some friends! we headed to lake winfield scott recreation area, which was about two hours north of atlanta. the group camp site was super nice and had plenty of room for our crew. the restrooms were clean and close, which was a huge plus, and we could pull right up to our camp site.

we really liked fort mountain state park, but the hike in to the group site was pretty strenuous for our first family camping trip. not to mention the bear siting and the outhouse!

we pretty much just stuck around the camp site during our outing. others went swimming at the lake, however it was so peaceful around the campfire with the kids napping, we decided to stick around.

i would say we got a lot better at packing and organizing for this camping trip. it’s hard to tell what you will definitely need for kid-friendly camping on your first outing, so we ended up bringing way too much last time.

we cooked group meals on this trip, which made it easy only having to plan for a couple meals versus the entire weekend. it was nice having an evening where you did not have to deal with cooking!

although we will most likely continue trying out other campgrounds, we would definitely head back to lake winfield scott!

– ryan & gub

lake winfield scott recreation area

lake winfield scott road
suches, georgia 30572
706-754-6221

with warmer days on the horizon, what better time to look at patio dining options in atlanta. here are 10 of our favorite local restaurants to enjoy outdoor eating and drinking in the spring or fall!

be sure to leave comments with your favorite in-town patios as well!

– ryan

leon’s full service (downtown decatur)

131 east ponce de leon avenue
decatur, georgia 30030
404-687-0500

•leon’s has one of the nicer in-town patios! this old service station in downtown decatur has been converted to a restaurant with a little courtyard patio for outdoor dining. they are known for their pub frites and great selection of ol’ timey cocktails. they also have lots of tasty draught beers, wine and a pretty sweet outdoor bocce ball court!

sun in my belly (kirkwood)

2161 college avenue ne
atlanta, ga 30317
404-370-1088

•sun in my belly is mainly known for their top-notch brunch. you’ll be thinking about their honey glazed bacon and stuffed challah french toast for days! what you might not know, is they also offer classy southern dinners and adult beverages. plus, all of this can be enjoyed on their street-front patio or open-air garden porch. they are the premiere kirkwood restaurant and also walking distance from our house, so we are big fans!

victory sandwich bar (inman park)

280 elizabeth street ne
atlanta, ga 30307
770-676-7287

•victory sandwich bar offers amazing little sandwiches (you’ll want two) and great sides (hello fancy nuts and spicy ramen noodles), which can be enjoyed on their outdoor patio in inman park. they also have cocktails (frozen jack & coke slushie), beer, wine and a brand new decatur location.

woody’s famous philadelphia cheese steaks (midtown)

981 monroe drive northeast
atlanta, ga 30308
404-876-1939

•an atlanta tradition, woody’s has the best cheese steaks in town and a huge wraparound porch for outdoor eating in midtown! they also serve draft beer!

yeah burger (virginia highlands)

1017 north highland avenue ne
atlanta, ga 30306
404-437-7845

•does eating a warm bowl of homemade chili or an amazing local kale salad on a spring afternoon sound pleasant? well then head over to yeah burger in the virginia highlands to enjoy their patio! you’ll also find tasty burgers, craft cocktails, draft beer, milkshakes, crispy brussel sprouts and more at this fine establishment.

six feet under (grant park)

437 memorial drive se
atlanta, ga 30312
404-523-6664

•six feet under has the best rooftop patio in town with great views of downtown atlanta and historic oakland cemetery. oh, and they also have delicious seafood, draft beer and cocktails (including oyster shooters), if you’re into that sort of thing!

taqueria del sol (downtown decatur)

359 west ponce de leon avenue
decatur, ga 30030
404-377-7668

•taqueria del sol is a downtown decatur staple. they offer unique tacos & specials, strong margaritas and open-air seating in an old gas station! be prepared to wait in long lines for both lunch and dinner however.

urban pie (downtown kirkwood)

2012 hosea williams drive
atlanta, ga 30317
404-373-2778

•urban pie serves up awesome thin crust pizza with plenty of outdoor seating in downtown kirkwood! they also have beer and wine available.

fox brothers bbq (edgewood)

1238 dekalb avenue
atlanta, ga 30307
404-577-4030

•it might not be our favorite bbq in town, however fox bros is super close to our house and has a very nice patio! they offer lots of adult beverage options and tasty, albeit overly smoked, bbq as well.

los bravos (decatur)

2895 north decatur road
decatur, ga 30033
404-508-0404

•los bravos serves 32 oz draft beers, great margaritas and has a huge patio with oodles of outdoor seating! it’s the perfect mexican food option in the springtime.

we took clementine to washington farms this weekend for some fall festivities and had a blast! there was a pumpkin patch, a huge corn maze, a petting zoo, pig races, slides and plenty more. clementine loved all of the outdoor space to run around and being able to pet the goats, bunnies, chicken, horses, donkeys, peacocks & more. she also enjoyed trying to lift the pumpkins, although they were mostly too heavy.

the patch still had ripe pumpkins on the vine, which was exciting! we grabbed a wheel barrow and headed out in the field to pick our favorites. we ended up getting 3 pumpkins, including a huge 30 lb pumpkin!

if you are looking for some fall festivities that are close to atlanta (about an hour away), definitely consider washington farms. we had a lot of fun and will be heading back next year!

be sure to also check out our fall outing post from last year to see how much clementine has grown.

– ryan & gub

washington farms

5691 hog mountain road
watkinsville, ga 30677
706-769-0627

fall is finally upon us! it’s actually cooled down enough so we can pull out our firepit again.

– ryan & gub

gub’s due date is quickly approaching. to celebrate, here are some cute recent photos of gub & clementine!

– ryan