roll tide, twenty fourteen.

College football season is here! How many people watched games last night? ::raises hand:: And tomorrow, tomorrow is the beginning of Alabama's football season. We snapped these candids of the boys this morning. Candids because while I may have tried to pose them, five year, three year and four month olds have minds of their own. And I think we captured personalities better this way. So fun to bring Graham into this little yearly tradition of ours.

Past year fun: 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 & 2009

house crashing: tennessee lakehouse.

Just a few of the photos that were snapped at the amazing lakehouse we stayed at a couple of weeks ago. It was constructed by a local amish man. And I believe most of the furniture inside was custom-made by the same man. I'm not usually one to go for so much wood, but at this cabin? It works.

That screened in porch was awesome. The mornings were a bit cooler while we were there. It's the perfect spot for a cup of coffee. If there had been a double bed out there, I think that's where Jeremy and I would have slept. As it was, I almost lost Jeremy to the screened porch bed (but hey, a whole bed upstairs by myself wouldn't have been a bad deal either).

The bedroom we stayed in (not pictured) had this picturesque window seat. I enjoyed several hours sitting there nursing Graham during our stay. It was so peaceful to look out the big window onto the lake below.

The boys were going to sleep in those bunkbeds. They are massive though; the top one is at least six feet up. And with no side-rail on it to keep a certain five year old from falling out, we opted for floor sleeping. They cared not. They were just excited they were in the loft in their own little space. Plus, the owners have grandchildren about the same age, so there were tons of new toys for them to explore.

The man cave on the lowest level (three stories of home, people!) was awesome. We tried to get the boys to settle down on Saturday afternoon to watch a movie since it was perfectly dark with a nice surround sound, but there were too many other things for them to do instead of watching TV. I suppose we were okay with that.

It was lovely to go down to the water, but I can imagine how awesome it must be in the winter too. To cozy up on those comfy couches in front of the fireplace, with a cup of hot cocoa. Methinks I have an idea for a winter getaway now.

graham: four months old.

This past month has been a lot of fun. We've had laughs like crazy. Mommy and daddy have decided that if this is your laugh, it's going to evoke a lot of laughter all on its own. You've also started talking this month. Um, we're a little afraid of how much you might talk if this babble is any indication of your future. Your brothers were both chatty, but you have outdone them for sure.

You still aren't a super-huge fan of tummy time, but little dude, you're so close to figuring out how to roll over. You also found your feet last week. If you don't have a blanket in your hand, you most definitely have one of your feet. We're just waiting for the moment you realize you can put your toes in your mouth. Speaking of, you won't take a pacifier. If you're really, really, really tired, you might take it for a few minutes, but otherwise, you much prefer your hand. I think you've finally realized that you can just suck on a couple of fingers rather than your fist. And it's pretty adorable.

You have your first cold. Your biggest brother started kindergarten a couple of weeks ago, and with that came some new germs into our home. You have a raspy cough that sounds like you've smoked for ages. We just have to let it run its course though. We had your four month check-up last Friday and Dr. C double-checked to make sure you didn't have an ear infection or something fun like that. By the way, you apparently decided to grow FOUR inches since your last check-up at six weeks. That's crazy. No wonder we're having to switch over to all six/nine month jammies.

Likes: your hands, your feet, anyone who will talk to you, stroller rides, eating
Dislikes: loud noises, taking naps

weeks thirteen through seventeen

cayden: fall photos, twenty fourteen

I remember taking fall photos in school. The excitement of wearing a new outfit as we were approaching a new season in weather. Apparently now "fall" photos mean photos in the middle of the hottest month in Alabama. I wanted Cayden to wear something fall-ish, but also not have him melt while out on the playground during recess. (That might happen anyway though. It's hot outside y'all.)

Target rescued us (as it usually does) with a cute fall inspired raglan tee. Throw some shorts on – cause you can't see those in the photo anyway – and you've got one cute boy! Cayden's in the process of growing his hair back out, so while it's in the awkward phase, Jeremy sneaks in with some hair product and styles his hair. If Cayden is aware of what you're doing, he'll throw-down and ask to have the product removed. Thankfully he was distracted by his awesome mama taking his photo this morning. Whether or not his hair remained styled for his picture to be taken will be determined at a later time and date. Like when the proofs come in. Ha!

family reunion, twenty fourteen.

There may not have been a mule-drawn buggy this year, but we still had a great time. The fact that we got to stay in paradise while in Tennessee for the event may have helped just a bit.

For the most part, family reunions are weird. There are people there that know who you belong to (in this case, my dad, since it's his family), but I have no idea who they necessarily are. And then, there are some people who know you, but still somehow missed the last year where I was pregnant and had a baby almost four months ago. And lastly, there are other family members who keep up with each other on the regular via social media. And it's those people you find you can have multiple conversations with and enjoy each other's company.

The kids were mostly just interested in the playground. That's cool. And can we talk about my nephew that walked off the edge of the large playset, dropped oh, probably six to seven feet, cried for maybe thirty seconds and then started climbing said piece of equipment again? Little dude is unstoppable. What is stoppable? My sister's heart. I think we all had numb fingers for a few seconds after that fall.

relaxation.

We traveled to Tennessee this past weekend for our annual family reunion. Since my parents don't live in Tennessee anymore, it's always an adventure trying to find somewhere to stay for the weekend that doesn't cost a fortune, or impose on someone else's family. This year we were so blessed to have one of my mom's best friends (thank Miss Amy!) offer up her lakeside cabin for the weekend.

When I pictured cabin, I was thinking small and quaint. Y'all. The opposite. Well, quaint for sure, but not small. But still so cozy and beautiful. I overheard Cayden while in the bathtub say, "I want to stay here forever." Buddy, mommy and daddy did too.

A little house crashing tour later this week. Because it's completely necessary so you can ooh and aah over this cabin's beauty. Oh, and it's aptly named the Relax-A-Lot cabin. And relax we did.

a conversation.

Lately Graham has decided to become quite chatty. Jeremy and I don't remember Cayden or Sawyer "talking" like this quite so early. It's pretty stinking cute. The best is when he'll start his little conversation and then just breaks out into bubbly laughter. Oh this kid. He is such a light to us!

a few new prints.

It has been a while since there was anything new added to the sewLOVED shop. I had a couple of bible verses that kept popping up in my head space and thought they would be perfect to try out as art prints. The verse from Matthew is one I'm really working on myself – realizing my treasure isn't in the things I own, but in the Lord. And I'm particularly smitten with that one from 2 Corinthians. There's just something so freeing about that verse. The third new print is one I did for a friend to give to her children. It's just one of those songs that gets stuck in your head, but you don't really mind because it's such a sweet little thing. I thought others might enjoy it as well; it'd be awfully cute in a nursery...

And because I like y'all so much, I'm offering 25% off all prints through the end of August. Use PRINTS25 to claim your discount!

four generations.

Having lost all of my great-grandparents by the time I was four, I'm hoping that our boys realize how lucky they are to still have three of their greats alive today to love on them. Photos like this are such great keepsakes, and makes me realize that I need to try to get something similar with my own grandmother this weekend while we're visiting in Tennessee.

And Memaw Kilgore has the best place for the boys to play. Land for days for running and yelling, and a ton of figurines inside for little hands to touch. A porch swing that somehow stays cool even on the hottest of days. She also makes a pretty mean creamed corn that no one can quite replicate. And some fried okra that reminds me so much of my own granddaddy.

Also to note: This was taken on Mother's Day. Please don't think Graham is still that teeny. Because nope. Also? Why does Sawyer look as big as Cayden? Boy is going to outgrow his brother at some point methinks.

making the pieces fit.

It's weird. I took these photos last week of Sawyer playing with his alphabet puzzle. I thought they were super cute photos; he was so intent on figuring out how all the pieces fit. But when I wanted to post them last week, I didn't really have any words.

But (lucky you!), I've come across words today. You see, there are a few things going on in our life that I'm trying to figure out. And like a child, I'm cramming all the pieces together. They don't necessarily fit, but if I push just a little bit harder, I feel like I can make it work.

Guess what? If the pieces don't fit, they just don't fit. Letting go and letting things slide into place on their own is so hard for me. It might be really hard for you too. But I'm trying. I like having the control over things. But y'all, I don't have that control. God does. And sheesh, it's just so hard to let go and let Him take care of these things.

So today, instead of being a child trying to cram everything into place, I'm going to let my creator take over. He knows how the pieces fit. I just have to trust Him, and let it go.

cayden: first day of kindergarten.

We did it! We walked to school and dropped off our big boy. We let him lead us into the building, making sure he knew exactly how to get to his room. He remembered perfectly. We grilled him on his teacher's name, what number his car pick-up was, the new friends he'd met the day before. And he did awesome.

If he was apprehensive at all, I didn't feel it. He was a little disagreeable about walking to school, but about half way there, he looked up at me and exclaimed, "This is fun!" (And it was fun walking to school, but by the time this mama and daddy were heading back to the house, it was a little too warm. We might rethink walking until the weather drops off a bit.)

We walked into his room with confidence. Dropped his snack and lunch where it needed to go. Got a little sad that it wasn't time to play with toys. But quickly regained his cool when he saw it was time to color.

I can't wait to hear all about his day when we pick him up this afternoon. I pray that it goes well and that he's excited to go back and do it all again tomorrow.

Oh, and I really can't apologize for all the photos. Just be glad I narrowed it down to just these, ha!

this kid.

Our first-born starts kindergarten tomorrow. Tomorrow! We had meet the teacher this morning, and while Cayden seemed a bit apprehensive at first, it didn't take long for him to start running around the classroom. We took in all of his school supplies and had a mini-scavenger hunt to locate where they needed to go. He knows one boy in his class from soccer last fall. And the best part? His teacher has them seated next to each other. Um, that might not last very long, but at least he does have a friendly face to look for tomorrow morning.

We're blessed to live within walking distance to the school. So bright and early tomorrow morning, we'll trek off into a new adventure. And just keep our fingers crossed and say our prayers that Cayden enjoys it all.

chubby chub.

At some point Graham started putting on some chub. Take away the clothes, plop him in the bumbo and ta-da! Chubby chub Graham! But for real, I'd guess he weighs in at around 13 or 14 pounds now. We'll have his four month (how did this already happen?) check-up closer to the end of this month to see exactly how much he's grown. What I do know? How much our love for this little one has grown. Big sigh. I really enjoy this mama gig.

low rider.

Y'all. I just can't even with this child. When Cayden was three, and other mamas were talking about their kiddos having multiple personalities, I had no idea what they were talking about. Cayden was an awesome three year old. (He's still an awesome five year old who starts school this week. Hold me?)

Sawyer's been three for just a little over a month. And I get it. Hot and cold. The sweetest and the rudest. The term "threenager" is completely appropriate for him. And Jeremy and I aren't entirely sure how to handle it. So we're doing the best we can.

The thing is, I think it's easy to forget with the second child (and I'm sure subsequent children), that they aren't as old as the first one. I think we expect too much from him sometimes and we're constantly having to remind ourselves that he's only three. He's already dressing himself completely? Awesome. But when he tells us that he can't do it the next day, maybe all he needs is a little extra attention.

It's draining. And confusing. And we never really know which personality we're going to get when Sawyer wakes up each day. But then little man is SO goofy and silly, that we all fall into fits of laughter. And things are good.