St George Island 2011

We are so blessed to be able to spend a week at SGI with our family. This year we rented a beautiful 6 bedroom, 6 1/2 bath home with 3 dens, needless to say, this was the first year we actually felt like there was enough room for all of us. With 21 people it takes a mighty large house to accommodate and please each of us! Yes, you read that correctly, as of now there are 21 of us, it is very difficult for an "outsider" to keep us all straight, but I'll give everyone the run down by family.

-Piper (Nan) and Alan (Bamps): My mother and step-father

-Tanner (brother) Whitney (sister-in-law): 2 kids Lanier (4) Chandler (2)

-Rob (step-brother) Hope(sister-in-law: Carstin (11) Jackson (19 months)

-Tori (sister) Cory (brother-in-law): Gaitz (4) Sibley (2) Render (4months)

-Matt (step-brother) Kacey (sister-in-law): Parker (5) Alania (3)

-Tyre and Joe: Baby Gill on the way (which will make 22)

I know what most of you are thinking, you're kidding right? Or at least that's what I would be thinking! My mother and Alan married almost 16 years ago and they have done a great job of making us all one big family, it is crazy at times but I wouldn't trade it for the world!!

Our favorite restaurant is Papa Joe's, in Apalachicola. The picture of me and Joe was taken on their dock. We try to go out to dinner every other night while we are at the beach, however, this can be difficult, but Papa Joe's is a MUST!

The mornings are spent on the beach, then pool time, lunch, naps, beach, pool, dinner. This is Nan and Bamps with 7 of the 9 grandkids that were there. It's almost impossible to get a picture of everyone!

The kids not only love the beach, but they also love the pool. For them to be so young they are actually pretty good swimmers. I tend to try and stay on "lifeguard duty" with so many little fish in th water.

Joe and I had to leave a day early in order for Joe to be back in time to fish in the Capt Hap's fishing tournament. He loves his fishing and I'm glad for him to go and have a chance to do something he loves so much. I'm going to do a blog with more information on his fishing, but his team is actually doing pretty well!





Then it was time for everyone else to load up and head home. It's always sad leaving SGI, but when we leave the count down is always on for the following year when we can come back and enjoy the "forgotten coast." Each of us feel so blessed our parents are able to give us a time to get away from the real world and relax, so THANK YOU MOM AND AL fo another wonderful trip to SGI!

Back to the Real World

Joe and I are moving into our house this week. We started last week moving furniture and trying to get organized, but we will actually be staying in Fleming starting this week. so look for a blog whenever I get a minute to sit down at the computer. So far our house is looking amazing thanks to the late nights from Mr. Moe, Mrs. Gay, Joe, and all the others it has taken to renovate in 60 days or less.

The Big Suprise!

With cheerful hearts Joe and I are excited to announce we will be welcoming a baby girl in December!

We found out when I was just 4 weeks along, but decided to wait until after the first trimester to tell anyone except our parents and siblings. From the day we found out we were going to be parents Joe just knew it was a baby girl.

At my last doctors appointment I asked my doctor if there was anyway we could have an ultrasound before we left for the beach, of course she said yes. On July 13th Joe and I went for a gender ultrasound. "Baby Gill" (as we refer to her because we haven't decided on a name yet) was sitting "Indian style," but the sweet lady doing the ultrasound was able to get Baby Gill to move and right away she knew it was a girl! As soon as Joe and I were alone the first thing he said to me was,"you know she's going to be a daddy's girl, right?"

Telling GiGi and Captain

After the appointment I called Two Smart Cookies in Savannah and had cookies made. Then, we called Mrs. Gay, GiGi, and Mr. Moe, Captain, and asked them if they would like to have dinner. GiGi set the table with fine china and Joe and I brought steaks. There was no way we would make it through dinner before letting them open the cookies so when we walked in the door I handed them the box and together they opened it to find pink cookies. Both, GiGi and Captain, cried!

To St. George Island for the Reveal

I left on Saturday to go to St. George with my family, Joe wasn't able to come until Wednesday because of work. I had made a promise to him that I wouldn't tell my family without him. On Wednesday afternoon I drove to Apalachicola to pick up cookies with pink icing for the kids. That night, when Joe got to SGI we piled all the kids in our room, gave them a cookie and allowed them to run upstairs and tell the adults "It's a Girl!" They loved being in on the secret before their parents. I was shocked I was able to hold out so long without telling them!

Video to Papa and CiCi

Because we weren't real sure the next time we would be in Manchester to tell my dad and step-mother we decided to send them a video clip. I had Lanier, Chandler, Sibley, and Gaitz on video screaming, "It's a girl!" We were so excited to be able to have the nieces and nephews in on our reveal.

Baby Gill

We have so much to do before Decemeber! We will be finishing our house in the next few weeks and will be moving to Fleming full time. Once we are moved in hopefully I'll have the time to find fabric for the nursery and for us to come up with the perfect name for our sweet girl. We feel so blessed God has chosen us to be this little girl's parents and know he will guide us as parents.

I'm sure I'll be Addicted

For several years I have been following my friends as they blog about "this-and-that" and I've always wanted to blog, but wasn't real sure who or what I would blog about...well now I feel like I officially have something to blog about that people want to read, my life in Fleming and my life as a "Gill".

The Proposal

Joe proposed on Mother's Day 2011. We had spent a fun weekend at the coast with his family and apparently he had been trying to find the right moment to propose all weekend. FINALLY, on Sunday Joe and I were on a boat ride and all alone. He stopped the boat, as I looked around there we were, just the two of us, no other people as far as the eye could see. I never once wondered what he was doing because the conversation about marriage and "if I would marry him" fit the moment. Of course after several minutes of conversation, he got down on his knee, opened the ring box and the rest is history!

The Wedding

My family vacation spot is St. George Island, Florida. My mother was first taken to St. George Island by her father and she has continued the tradition with her own family. Each year we take a week long vacation which is filled with countless memories and stories. When Joe and I started looking for wedding venues we knew we wanted to do it somewhere that holds happy memories for the two of us and a place our kids will grow to know and love , therefore; when the idea of getting married at St. George came up we both knew this was the place for us. The week before the wedding was priceless, both families rented homes on the island and enjoyed a vacation before wedding time! The Gill's had never been to St. George so this gave them the opportunity to fall in love with the "forgotten coast" that my family loves and charishes. Joe and I were not actually married on the island, but in the Methodist Church in Apalachicola, Florida (a small historic town where we go to dinner several times during our annual vacation to SGI) with the reception following at the Owl Cafe`. Everything was exactly what we had imagined from the vacation week to the ceremony to the reception, in our eyes it was PERFECT!

What We are Doing Now

We are renting a house at Shellman Bluff for the summer. We wanted a summer where we could just enjoy the coast away from everything. Of course, Joe has to go to work everyday but he loves coming home to the water. During our stay at Shellman, we have been in the process of remodeling a home for us on the Gill Family Farm. The house was known as the "pool house" because it is situated between the swimming pool and a pond. I had a difficult time convincing Joe to live in the pool house, but I managed! I fell in love with the huge screened in porch on this house and knew it would be perfect for us until we can decide exactly what we want.

More to Come

We are busy the next few weeks...Joe has several fishing tournaments and we will be heading back to SGI for a week with the family. Not to mention, we will be moving into our house at the end of July, thanks to Mr. Moe and his crew, and trying to get to the lake as much as possible between all of our chaos!