B&W Lifestyle

One day a couple of weeks ago, I signed up to audit a lifestyle photography workshop.  Below are the fruits of my week one assignment.  It was fun to try some purposeful shooting, but more importantly, this gave me a reason to finally figure out how templates work in Lightroom.  This is a major accomplishment.  (For me anyway...everyone else seems to find it quite easy.)  I think next time, I might leave some white space around the photos, though.  Oops!  and I now see that I duplicated a photo.  Must've really liked that one. 

Attempt No. 1: Michael

Attempt No. 2: Ella and Jemima

I think I might try this assignment one more time tomorrow with Henry when I have better light. Maybe I can get him to bake me some cookies...Hmm. 

Miss B Had a Birthday

This little cutie pie became an official toddler recently, taking her first steps and diving into her 1st birthday cupcake with enthusiasm.  Her mama let me take some one-year photos of her and I'm excited to share a few.  (Why don't I do this with my own birthday kiddos?  I need to!)

We had so much fun.  Miss B has informed me that next time I'm going to have to work through her agent, however.  ​

The Lake

Before we get to the large body of water, I wanted to share this sweet picture of the kids talking to Gigi and Poppa over FaceTime.  Henry just wanted to hold the phone - unfortunately hanging up repeatedly on his grandparents - but Ella did a great job retaining control of the situation and would have happily chatted for hours.

For Memorial Day weekend, we headed West to the lake for a weekend "roughing" it (if taking your morning tea overlooking the water and climbing into freshly laundered bed linens each night can be considered such) with the family. 

We had an incredible time slowing down and catching up.

Not sure why I try...but I do. At least all five are in the same frame.  ​

Michael's first run was a little touch-and-go.​

Rocket's vision of a fish-cleaning station on the dock? Complete. ​

Michael's already telling tall tales once off the boat.  A true fisherman has been born.  ​

"Every day I'm hustlin'."

Back out for another round!​

I can just hear the reassuring talk going on.

The all-important hand signals at work. 

Sometimes it's boring to wait your turn.  Do what you can. ​

(Have you had enough of the tubing photos yet? I have lots more....)​

Okay, I'm done now. ​

Can I go next time?​

And without further delay and continued over-sharing of tubing photos, my favorite shot of the weekend:​

Season's End

There was cake.  There were trophies.  And both kids have declared their intent to sign up for more in the fall.  All-in-all, a successful first sports season is now in the can.  ​

And I can't believe I'm saying it, but I'm a little sad it's over for a few months.  I sincerely underestimated how much joy I'd find in cheering on the kids from the cheap seats every Saturday morning (ridiculously early every Saturday morning, I should add).  We'll have Ella's indoor soccer games to tide us over on weekdays this summer, but I look forward to some crisp days in the fall to be back outside with the dirt, grass, sunblock and a diaper bag full of snacks for the littlest guy.

Running to hug his little brother who came to visit him in the dugout.  (Oh, my heart.)

"Imma own this place one day."

Coach says he's got the best arm on the team and tons of potential.  If only he'd quit playing in the dirt when major plays are happening. ​

(It's good to have goals, I say.)

Ella cheers on her team non-stop from her spot playing goalie.  ​

Coach called her the gazelle of the team during the post-season swim party -- I think he's onto something.  ​

A zoo, a Sprinkle and a twinkle

It's been a terribly long two weeks.  (Wes agrees.)​ 

Before I left, I had the distinct pleasure - no, really - of chaperoning Ella's school field trip to the zoo.  It was FREEZING.  We had a great time despite the constant shivers, though, and I'm so glad I got to go.

The girls.​

Experiencing tornado-like winds

The lorakeet experience - hysterical! (And occasionally painful.)​

Two days later, girlfriends gathered to celebrate the soon-to-be baby brother for a good friend. In the deep South, a Sprinkle equals something a little less formal than a Shower for a second or third child.

I miss seeing these girls as often as I used to.  ​

Can't help but throw in the obligatory Cammie Cakes cupcake shot. ​

Before heading off to my next destination (home for a 1/2 day!) baby B and I had a slumber party.  Ahhhh, so cute.  ​

Another trip around the bases, some cake and a little time travel.

Another Saturday, another game day. (Are you sick of it yet?  Well don't worry, I'm missing the next two so this will be it for a bit.)​

Miss E had a soccer game, too, but Cranky-Pants-Hank did his best to ensure I didn't get many shots in. ​ Go #9!

We also had a couple of birthdays to celebrate!​  Good thing old Uncle Matt had lots of help with ALL of those candles.

"It bothers me!"​

This (cutie-pie) birthday girl had a nose tickle!​

He came with a shirt.  Promise. ​

And if we take a quick trip in the way-back machine, I can share some photos from my niece's Seussical ​performance. So proud of her!

She's Mrs. Mayor on the far left.  Loved the wig!​

[Dramatic Pause]​

The finale!​

A Vegetable!

Or, well, a Festival!  One of our most favorite things to do is drag the kiddos to local outdoor arts festivals.  This past weekend, we distracted ourselves from missing the annual Dogwood Festival in Atlanta by heading to the Main Street Festival in downtown Fort Worth.  There were no disc-catching dog competitions or Ferris wheels but lots of yummy food and children's activities to make the drive into town well worth it.  And we loved seeing some more of our new hometown!​

It is hard waiting for your turn for face painting when you are four.  HARD.  ​

The balloon sword helped, though.

Finally!​

Watch out for the Wolverine. ​

This kid was awesome-sauce all day long. ​

Wolverine.  Ready to tackle the (Inflatable) Rock Wall.  ​

Boo-yeah!

I think the climb put him over the top.  Nap-nap time.  ​

Baseball Days

Suddenly there are so many photos to catch up on!  Since Michael had two games this week, I'll focus on baseball (okay, T-ball) first.  ​

In case you were wondering, yes, he looks like this most of the time because he doesn't get every single ball fielded to him. ​

Yay for Kate entertaining baby Rocket!​

Here we go again.  Pouting because too many people are cheering for him as he warms up to bat.  ​

All smiles on the run toward Home!​

I think he may have lost interest in the game toward the end.  ​

The Bug is Gone

The good news is that it looks like we've all survived and the stomach bug has left the building.  I've never used so much Lysol in my life.  It didn't leave a ton of time for documenting our week, but I do have a few to share.

This shot was set up to help me work on a skin tone lesson I'm plowing through this week.  As you can see by the fact I converted it to black and white, I still have a few things in the lesson to fully grasp.   *sigh* ​

Watching the Braves

"Decorating" the old front door the day that the new one (yay! FINALLY) arrived.​

Henry's watching his brother and sister kicking in the pool, thinking, "Those kids are nuts."  ​

Courtesy of the Amazing Mrs. Ross

It was a big morning today in our household!  A few weeks ago a friend and photographer I've come to know -- she taught the very first workshop I took over at Clickin Moms​ on natural light (oh, how she must have been shaking her head at my poor results three years ago) -- did a black & white lifestyle shoot at our home.  And this morning she shared the final images with us!  It was such a nice turnaround for a morning that starting with bathing dried puke out of the baby's hair at 5 a.m.

​Anyhoo, back to Beth Ross (you can find more of her beautiful work on her website) and the gorgeous photos she made.  She even got Michael to smile.  SMILE, I said.  She was patient and amazing and kind and fun. 

There's about to be a few less blank walls around here.  THANK YOU, BETH! <3

Crazy Saturday/Lazy Sunday

Until T-ball and soccer wrap for the season, I think this will be our normal weekend pattern.  Jam-packed Saturdays...recoup on Sundays.  We have quite a cheering section that shows up each week.  So big, I couldn't get everyone in the same shot!

Michael might say the cheering section is embarrassingly large.  He's learning how to graciously accept all of the hooting and hollering headed his direction.  ​

It may take a few more games.  Check out that scowl. ​

Henry was feeling a little grouchy during Ella's game so I didn't get to take more than a few pictures. ​

As promised, Sunday was pretty uneventful.  We did get a new dishwasher to replace the one being held together with strapping tape (no joke), but other than that, there was snacking, time in front of the tube and lots of napping.  Sweet napping.​

Doesn't everyone watch the Disney Channel in a ballet costume?​

Henry seems pretty stoked about the prospect of clean sippy cups.​

Easter and Other Recent Adventures

Goofs.​

You wouldn't know it today, but spring has been springing around here.  We started off the week in flip-flops and then had our winter coats on yesterday.  Sounds like we'll be back to flip-flops for the weekend which means the kids are that much closer to getting in the pool - pleasemomcanwegetinthepool??​

This is a mystery fruit tree - can't wait to see what begins to grow.​

If anyone needs a little oregano, come on over. ​

Last week, there was a walk for JDRF at Ella's school.  She was pretty excited to have a small cheering section show up for her.  ​

I'd say Nana came away from the walk with a few new girlfriends.​

Easter is quickly moving up in the ranks of the kids' favorite holidays.  Painting?  Treat Hunting?  Chocolate?  Swim goggles?  Yes, please. ​

Easter morning - the Bunny came!  (Nevermind, everything the Bunny gave them was taken away 10 minutes after this photo was taken.  They earned everything back later in the day.)​

More goodies were waiting at the Farm

Instructions Time for the hunt

Henry: "Kate, stop posing for pictures.  There's an egg over there.  Dude, we gotta beat the other kids."​

Supervisors.​

Wrapping it up and heading in

Mamaw jazzed up her Deviled Eggs for the occasion.  ​

Lunchtime Ticklefest

Zoo Day

Some people may call visiting a major zoo on Good Friday an idiotic thing to do.  I say we were just optimistic - and it paid off.  Even better, my family was only marginally (read: completely) embarrassed that I brought along my long lens.  Happy Zoo Day.  ​

We saw a Unicorn!  No rainbows, though. ​

Sweet Baby Henry

I have so many photos to catch up on after the last week, but had to stop and move this bunch to the top for a quickie post.  There's the most beautiful round crib at my parent's farm, and Henry got to take it for a nappy-nap spin on Easter Sunday. 

​I think he enjoyed it. ​

10 Years: Our Story

You know me.  I was one of those girls who started a Wedding Ideas book in high school, stockpiling Martha Stewart Weddings back issues and carefully hiding them until the right guy would come along and give me a reason to start checking availability at my favorite venues around town.  Turns out that the right - very tall, very blonde (who knew?) - guy was on the patio at Boar's Head Bar.

Nearly three years into dating and longing for our college days after moving to Atlanta to become grown ups, Wes and I would often spend time talking about all of the places we missed in Athens.  When the opportunity to drive out there for our future brother-in-law's birthday came up (he must have been nervous; that was the best lie he could think of), we arrived early.  Our plan was to eat lunch downtown and then take a walk around North campus before heading to his sister's home.

So that's how I found myself standing in front of the fountain on Herty Field, where I made a joyful decision that was far wiser than my 22 year-old self should have been.  Outside of watching my fair share of romantic comedies, I had very little real-world experience regarding marriage.  Maybe all of those times that my parents said "you'll just know" finally made sense.  Maybe the example they set day after day of their (now) nearly 43-year marriage sunk in without my noticing.  But however I got there, I am ever grateful I said "yes!" to the blue-eyed boy who looked great in jeans and who has grown into the husband and father I love every day.  And who, yes, still looks great in jeans.  Lucky me, indeed.

​Thirteen months later, on March 29, 2003, the big day arrived.  Years of thumbing through those glossy magazines and hours upon hours spent surfing theKnot.com (does that site still exist??) when I should have been working, paid off in incredible ways.  Weeks later I heard that there was a thunderstorm during our reception -- apparently we were too busy on the dance floor to notice. 

​In the 10 years that have passed, memories have run together in a crazy blur.  We survived three *super fun* pregnancies and were blessed to bring home beautiful children that fill our days with sticky fingers, battles of wills, laughter, laundry and cuddles. 

Our first home in Cabbagetown was a Pre-Wedding Relationship Test of major DIY renovations, not to be outdone by the home we built from scratch in Decatur and our most recent (overly) ambitious renovation in Texas.  We've built a business together and learned how to walk the incredibly thin line between "happily married couple" and "business partners."  Most importantly, our photo albums are filled with memories from princess birthday parties and college game days to family beach trips and mom-and-dad-only vacations in beautiful places like Asheville and Amalfi. 

We see the sunrise through our bedroom curtains each morning and we know right where our kids are tucked into bed each night.  I'm not sure it can get better than this, but something tells me it will.

For better or worse, in sickness and in health, no matter where we are on this awesome journey, ​I'm happiest when I'm with you. 

Now.  Pardon me for taking everyone back to that day when we said "I do."

Pardon me even more for sharing some potentially cringe-inducing photos of ourselves, our family and our friends. 

We do love you all.    ​

​The rehearsal.  I desperately wish I could recall what was going on in this conversation.

Photo credit: Molly Feighner

Photo credit: Molly Feighner

​Early morning prep time

Photo credit: Molly Feighner

Ready!

Photo credit: Molly Feighner

My handsome groom

Ah, the early 2000's and the ever-popular football pose for the groomsmen.

These kiddos are now 12 and 10 years old.  Eesh. ​

Not to be outdone by the groomsmen, the bridesmaids had the opportunity to reenact the opening sequence to Designing Women.​

It was a chilly, breezy walk to the church that day.​  Thank heavens for Super Hold Hairspray.

We ran over to get a few pictures under the marquee lights at the Fox Theater.  Too bad our photographers failed to get any in focus!​

There are a few things I might change if I had the chance to do it all over again.  The chocolate marble cheesecake is not one of them.

Photo credit: Molly Feighner

Photo credit: Molly Feighner

Photo credit: Molly Feighner

Less talking, more dancing.  :D

Photo credit: Molly Feighner

I'm pretty sure when we finally passed out that night, we didn't look quite so delicate.  There was probably lots of snoring and drooling from the exhaustion.  A perfect start to a decade of wedded happiness, if you ask me.  You've got to start with the bar as low as possible, right?​  To this day, Wes is pretty stoked when he gets through  a night without me elbowing him or waking him sawing logs. 

He's one fortunate guy, but not as fortunate as me. 

Shamrocks, the Patio and a Gala

We'll start with my favorite four-year-old photobombing his sister's pic while we were making shamrock cookies for Aunt Molly's birthday cook out.​

The icing went on a little heavy-handed with these two, but the cookies were yummy.  ​

Sadly, this is as close as I got to a photo of all three of them on St. Patty's Day. ​

For one glorious evening, it was warm enough to eat out on the patio and the kids had so much fun.  They didn't even notice they were eating oreicchiete with ​broccoli and slices of rosemary bread.

But what I really want to talk about is this girl.  My niece.  On Saturday night, she and her family were honored at a fundraising gala for JDRF and, while I am continually impressed by her kindness, her bravery, her poise and her attitude as she lives with Type 1 diabetes, I was simply blown away by her performance that night. 

As a video ​featuring herself, family and close girlfriends came to a close, she took the stage in front of 500 adults in ball gowns and black ties like it was just another day singing in her backyard. 

And she brought the house down. 

Gamedays

Saturdays are taking on a whole new shape with T-ball, baseball and soccer now in full swing.  I can tell I'm going to need to learn to be better friends with my long lens which generally doesn't get much of a workout. 

​It sure is fun to watch these kiddos.  Of course, this past Saturday was unbelievably cold, but it was fun nonetheless. 

In T-ball, the parents all stand in the field with the kids.  Michael was getting constant pointers but mostly he was just thinking about how cold he was.  ​

Sooooo cold. ​

Batter up.​

Good game.​

Did I mention it was cold?​

Thankfully, Ella's and Drew's games were around lunchtime and it had warmed up considerably. ​

And this one has nothing to do with games...but I just love my girl's smile.  ​

The "After" Photos

It took a little time -- 10 months, if you've been counting -- but we are finally settled in the home we bought last May.  Since the day we set foot in the front door we've had big plans for how to make this house at the end of the street our home.  We only had to wait until November to gain possession and begin tearing things apart to begin putting them back together the way we envisioned. 

By no means was this done alone.  Our list of family, friends, providence, you name it, to be grateful for at this moment is longer than I could possibly put in writing in one sitting.  ​But very special thank yous go to my brother's family who allowed us to completely take over their household for three (3!) months; to Papaw who spent countless hours rewiring our entire home, installing fixtures and performing various other much-needed services with a smile; and to Rocket who willingly shared his precious storage capacity at the Farm and for bestowing his unending skills as a carpenter, overseer and all-around good influence.

Our cups runneth so far over, we've run out of towels sopping up the excess.

Here we are on our first visit after the closing to finalize our plans -- all of the "before" pictures are from this trip, and if you follow this blog, you'll recognize more than a few.

Before

During

After: The dusty blue trim has been traded in for Dovetail Gray and every brick that would stand still is now white. 

Through the front entry, you come into the dining room.  A doorway lead into the sectioned-off kitchen and breakfast nook.  Bringing down a few walls was top on our list of priorities to open up the rooms, let in light and minimize some of the 8-foot ceilings that we would not be able to change. ​

Before: Mirrored wall, carpeted dining room and Saltillo-tiled entry through to the kitchen.  ​

During

After: Maybe the thing I'm most excited about, you can't even see in these photos.  Where there were once popcorn ceiling and orange-peel walls (if you've never had the pleasure, don't feel left out), there are now smooth ceilings and walls. ​

Before

During

After: You may notice the front door is still the same.  We keep talking to our ProBuild rep about that....maybe next month. 

In addition to new walls, moulding, paint and lighting, we knocked out the two, small vertical windows and put in a much larger set to let more light into the dining room and kitchen.

Before

During

After: A portion of the wall with the ovens was removed to make room for a peninsula countertop.  We also took out the header between the former kitchen and breakfast area to open up the space.  ​

Before

After: We pushed the working bits of the kitchen back into this space and lost the breakfast area.  Now, the sink is centered on this window.  The laundry room remains on the right and a new pantry was built to the left.  It was originally a solid wall with a niche for a wardrobe and water heaters behind it (accessible from the garage).  The place for the refrigerator is about the only thing in this space that stayed put.  ​

Before

During: One of many evening conferences with the plumbers.​

After: This isn't the same vantage point, but you see the same space.  Where there was a small window over the kitchen sink, there is now a set of French doors.  And the wall with the stove top and microwave is completely gone.  We don't really miss it.  ​

Before: Just the laundry room...no 'before' picture of the water heater closet area.  When we bought this house, I was honestly worried about hating having a laundry room downstairs, off the kitchen and as far away as possible from the home's bedrooms.  I know, I may have been missing the forest for the trees. 

Actually, it's been not bad at all (yes, Wes does the lion's share of the laundry because he's awesome) -- having it on the main floor is kind of nice.  Who knew. ​

During: The water heaters were replaced with tankless units and moved elsewhere, allowing us to covert their closet, and a niche in the garage that was previously used for trash containers, into indoor square footage.  Half went to the new pantry; half went to the new mud room/hall.​

After: (And pardon my stupid attempt at using templates in Lightroom.  Apparently I need to read more of the instruction book.) We turned one side of the laundry room in a clothes-sorting station/coffee station/wine storage space. We also put in a real pantry where once there was a wall and mechanicals.

Before: The pool bath. 

During

After: From the exterior door, looking back.  The biggest change in this space to was to swap the solid exterior door for one with windows, letting light into a very dark room.  We also put in brick-like tile, and new cabinetry, counters, mirror, trim, lighting, paint, um everything.  ​

Outside the bathroom is the mud room/hall.  Our trash cans now have to live outside the garage, but we're good with the trade-off.  It won't hold all of our coats and junk the way our old mud room did, but it's still a nice space to handle light duty and a good transition from the garage to the kitchen. ​

Back to the kitchen, which is now opened up to the family room. 

Before

​During: A large built-in along the wall opposite the kitchen was removed and the stairs got a facelift.  We also removed the exterior door in the family room and replaced it with a set of windows to match the trio already there.  Not having foot traffic through the room helps a ton with furniture placement.

After

Before: On the other side of the dining room is a guest room and bath. We're excited to be using it for the first time next week when Poppa and Gigi come to stay!

After

Before: Unnecessary bulk head, a tub with no shower that was very difficult to get in and out of, and an upper cabinet that we removed.​

During

After: New walk-in shower, vanity, lighting, floors, trim and paint.

To the left as you come in the front door is a great room that we have (at least for the time being while the kids are little) turned into a playroom.  ​

Before: Lots of wood paneling

During

After: Our lament about this room is that it has the home's only fireplace.  One day, I see it being used as a media room or family space that more than just the kids will enjoy.  Of course, if Matt has his way, it'll be reborn as a killer office when the kids are a bit older.

Aside from (lots of) paint and new floors, we opened up the height of the cased opening into the dining room to let more light through, and we added French doors in that opening as well as framing in a place for a door between the playroom and family room.  It helps with sound, and when the room is a disaster, I close the doors and pretend there isn't perfectly clear glass showing off all of the festive clutter.​

Down the hallway to the master bedroom, you pass the office, previously known as the Land of the Many Built-Ins.  ​

Before

During: Built-ins were all removed save the bookcases on the far right.  Then chair rail was installed to match the existing style in the room.​

After

On to the master bedroom.  The room itself didn't change drastically, but the former bathroom/closet/workout room space got a major overhaul.​

Before

During

After

Before: A small, dark shower and lots of unused space in the middle of the bathroom.  ​

Adjacent to the bathroom was a mirrored workout room, with doors (not seen here) opening up to the backyard.​

During: And this was after the gaping hole in the middle of the room was filled in. ​If you look closely, you can see through the family room, into the kitchen through the framing on the left.

Looking the same direction, now the wall to the left has been bumped out to expand the closet and frame in the new location for the shower.  Where the old shower was, is an expanded potty room.  ​

After: My favorite piece of furniture in the house, beautifully built by my dad and inspired by one in a Pottery Barn catalog that didn't fit the budget.  ​It sits where the mirrored wall once was.  We also took out the high, glass-block window and put in a larger one to brighten up the room.

Now that we consistently have hot water, we're learning to really love this shower. ​

New place for the tub.

And a peek into where all the money we spent on Elfa shelving went.  ​

That does it for the downstairs -- onward to the second floor.  Henry knows the way.​

Don't worry -- baby gates are on order. ​

Ella's room was formerly used as an office.  It had a pretty small closet (with duct work housed in the bottom of it) and doors leading to a balcony that had passed it's heyday. Rather than rebuild it, we took it out. 

Before: A cork-board border went all the way around the room.​

During: The doors were replaced with windows after the balcony was demolished, and the closet was expanded.​

After: A pink paradise. 

Henry's room is about half the size of his former pad, but he doesn't seem to have noticed yet. ​

Before

After

Michael's room was torn up a bit in the HVAC/plumbing disaster that raged downstairs for a month or more. It's all back together now.

Before: I had completely forgotten this room was green.  ​

During: Another built-in bit the dust.  ​And oooh, you can really see the old popcorn ceilings in this image. 

After: I couldn't go for solid navy walls per Michael's request, but I think he likes the compromise of the stripes.  ​

Can't believe he's old enough to sleep on the top bunk!​

We'll follow Henry back down the hall a little to the kids' shared bath which also got a makeover. ​

Before

During: We saved the tub, but lost the over-potty cabinet, the lighting bulkhead and, well, everything else. ​

After:  Ella has already declared the right sink to be hers and the boys must share the left.  My guess is she'll be getting ready downstairs a lot as a teenager.  ​

Baby wants to go outside now.​

Before: We're looking forward to the day that everything greens back up and we can open the pool for the first time.  ​

After

The cushions will probably take a beating being outside year-round but it's a risk we're willing to take.

We just need to throw a few plants in our empty pots, wait for the last of the chilly weather to pass, marinate something yummy for the grill and enjoy.​

The years of memories to be made in this new home are stretched out before us.  I may need to invest in a back-up camera battery. 

Forever and a Day

It's been so long since posting, I had to log back into my site.  I'm not sure that's ever happened, but I have good excuses!  We're finally moved in (more on that in future posts), soccer started, T-ball begins tomorrow and my biggest event of the year loads in next week.  Needless to say, things have been hoppin' around here.  ​

Among my most favorite events of the past few weeks were the birth of our dear friends' son (I got to see him first!) and a long-overdue visit with my sister-in-law and baby Josh.  ​

Isn't he handsome?  You can read all about him on his mama's blog by clicking here.

And oh! Baby Josh.  He has come such a long, long way.  Those eyes!  And that sweet personality.  He's going to be trouble for the ladies, I just know it.  Fortunately, he's got parents who know how to handle the most incredible punches.  They're already two steps ahead of him.  ​

We had a very big day last weekend watching Ella play in her first soccer game.  She was hopping and running all over the field with excitement -- it was impossible to watch her without a huge, goofy grin on our faces. ​ After taking a freezing-cold soccer ball to the face while playing goalie during practice earlier in the week, I was so proud of her for getting back out there with gusto. 

It was in the 30's, but that didn't stop the Ella cheering section from showing up.  I think Dad was doing his best to remain calm and cool, not taking his eyes of the field and his little girl.​

A little out of order, a glimpse of our first morning in the new house...​

Promise I didn't set them up to all play together.  They were so overjoyed to have all of their toys back after three long months in storage!​

I'd say everyone's settling in pretty well.  The new tub is sure getting a workout.  ​

What Day Is It?

Seriously, I've been perpetually off by a day (or four) for the last month.  Good thing Wes is around to keep me honest.  Maybe I could use a day-of-the-week Post-It on the back of my hand or something so I don't have to keep bothering him. 

Turn your back for just a nano-second and this little guy has found trouble.  Opening doors, drawers, and climbing stairs rank right up there with throwing sippies on the floor and unplugging electronics.  Trouble, I tell you. 

Henry wanted to run outside with the big kids so badly!  Just a few more weeks, I'm sure, and he'll be unstoppable.

Aunt Maureen celebrated a fabulous birthday recently -- cake! presents! Is there anything better?

Back to the big-little-guy before I finish...love this one.  Bath-time baby.  And no, he doesn't listen when I tell him it's not safe to stand in the water.  Dude....