into everything.

I know I've said it before, but this third child of ours is trouble. In the cutest, most frustrating, adorable way. I can't keep him out of the fireplace. I can't keep him out of the chairs at the table. Which usually leads to him crawling on the table. I can't keep him from thinking he's as big as his brothers. And apparently I can't keep him from dipping a diaper clutch into an unflushed toilet when I turn my head for two seconds. Yikes.

Despite what it might seem like, I also can't believe that this cutie is ours. I can't believe the way he can make me laugh in a split second. I can't believe how wonderful his relationship is with both of his brothers. I can't believe how cute his sweet little teeth are that took forever to come in.

However, I can believe how much I love him. And it's a lot.

the cove: front entry

I think we have three different areas that are technically in-progress, but this one looks the most complete at the moment. The first photo is literally the night we closed (and yes, that wood wall is awesome and was one of the selling points for us!). And for some reason, I have no photo of the front door in a true before shot while the walls were all that awesome tan. Y'all, every room in the house is this tan color. Except for the nursery. Which was painted in a semi-gloss (why?) in a greenish-bluish color. It's not a bad color, but it just doesn't work for us. And now I'm going off on a tangent. Every room will be painted. Eventually...

But back to the front entry! After we painted the walls an awesome gray (Sherwin Williams Light French Gray), I knew I wanted a pop of color on the inside of the front door. We picked up several swatches and had originally planned to go with more of a rust color. But neither me nor Jeremy were feeling it. It just seemed like it needed to be brighter. And bolder. And so we settled on this lovely shade (Behr Watermelon Slice). Every time I walk through, the color makes me smile.

As for other things to do in this area, I have plans to create a little backpack/often used bags & coats/drop station behind the front door. It'll really just be a 1x3 board with some hooks on it, but it will help a ton. At our old house we had a set of stairs and backpacks generally got hung on the banister. Here? We have no where to hang a backpack. With school starting back last week, I found myself a little lost on where to hang Cayden's stuff. Looking forward to getting that set up. And moving on to the next project!

a little then & now.

We had our annual Sweeney family reunion this past weekend. As always, we had a really good time. The weather held out and while it was super muggy, we were thankful to see the sun so that all the kiddos could run and play and get their sillies out. Me? I was just concerned with Jeremy capturing a photo similar to one he shot last year of me and Graham (hashtag the important stuff, duh). It really is so fun to have photos like this to look back on and see how much Graham has changed. One thing that hasn't changed? My apparent love for stripes. Always and forever.

good lighting & a cute baby.

Although I guess calling him a baby is quickly becoming a thing of the past. There's just not a lot of baby left in this guy. And even though Baby Center has been calling him a toddler for months, I guess it's time I got on board with the same terminology.

But back to the photo... I was sitting at my desk earlier this week, quite possibly typing an entry into this blog (I know! Three entries in one week IS a miracle!), and the littlest guy was standing beside the window and noticed how great the light was. Thankfully the camera was sitting right in front of me so I was able to snap a couple of shots real quick-like. And I just crossed my fingers and said a little prayer that the focus was where it looked like it was and that I wasn't wasting an opportunity.

Cause y'all? Babies don't keep. And they also don't keep still. You gotta be fast on the draw to get something this magical!

when big brother's away...

... and it's not a million degrees outside, it's time to go out and play! When we walked out the door to take Cayden to school this morning and I was actually a bit cold, I declared it PARK DAY and it was. We headed out around 9 before the sun got too hot and the two littlest played their hearts out. It was pretty much the most adorable thing ever. Graham followed Sawyer around to the best of his ability and Sawyer's big brother skills were glowing as he kept assuring me that he would keep Graham safe.

I thought the morning of playing and Graham skipping morning nap would equal an extra-long afternoon nap. Ha. Nope. He didn't even make it two full hours. But this morning? Was awesome and has me looking foward to cooler days to come!

cayden: first day of 1st grade

Cayden started 1st grade today! He had a lot of firsts as well. First car ride to a new school. First day at a new school. First day with new friends. First ride on the bus home... So it seems fitting that he started 1st grade, right?

Surprisingly, our awesome little kiddo didn't seem nervous at all. It was a fun change from last fall – he's so independent now! And as parents of a kiddo at a new school, I was also surprisingly not nervous! (Don't ask me about his first solo bus ride home though. That? I'm a teeny bit nervous about. And it's also the thing he was most looking forward to. Of. Course.) We dropped him off and had already told him to ask how to get to his classroom if he got confused. The elementary school he's in has been added on to a couple of times, so it's somewhat of a labyrinth of rooms and halls. Truth be told? I'm not sure I could have gotten to his room from where we dropped him off! First and last thing I heard him tell the teacher as he was walking in? "I've never done this before!" So, at least he remembered to let the adults know he needed help. Ha!

I'm anxiously awaiting his return home in a couple of hours. But so very excited for what this year brings. We've heard nothing but great things about our new school system and can't wait to experience it all for ourself. Also? Go Huskies!